Nutritional enhancement, antinutrient reduction, sensory quality, and acrylamide mitigation in biscuits fortified with oil-assisted debittered Moringa oleifera leaf powder

• Oil-assisted debittering improved moringa leaf acceptability. • DMLP biscuits enriched protein, fiber, and mineral content. • Antinutrients reduced by >70% after oil-assisted debittering. • Acrylamide levels and HQ < 1 confirmed food safety. • Moringa fortification enhanced oxidative storage stability. In bakery products, the utilization of Moringa oleifera is constrained by inherent bitterness, antinutritional factors, and safety concerns related to thermal processing contaminants. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a food-grade oil-based debittering strategy for Moringa oleifera leaves and to evaluate the nutritional enhancement, safety, and storage stability of debittered moringa leaf powder (DMLP)–fortified biscuits. The degree of substitution levels with debittered moringa leaf powder (DMLP) were 15, 20, and 25%. The results showed that DMLP-enriched biscuits were found to have much higher levels of protein (18% maximum), fiber (4.98 g/100 g), iron, and calcium when compared with the control biscuits. Tannins (73%), phytates (80%), and trypsin inhibitors (82%) decreased by debittering and baking, which led to an increase in in vitro protein digestibility and improved predicted mineral bioavailability. The formation of acrylamide decreased from 112.7 µg/kg in control biscuits to 110.3, 104.9, and 101.4 µg/kg in biscuits containing 15, 20, and 25% DMLP, respectively, based on triplicate analyses, with a hazard quotient (HQ) of less than 1, which implies that it posed a little risk to health. Additionally, DMLP-enriched biscuits exhibited reduced lipid oxidation and moisture gain during storage. Overall, oil-debittered moringa leaf powder demonstrated strong potential as a cost-effective, clean-label biofortificant for developing nutritionally enriched, safe, and shelf-stable bakery products aligned with global food security and public health objectives.