Effect of Butternut Squash (Cucurbita Moschata) Flour Substitution on the Nutritional, Functional, and Sensory Properties of Wheat Bread

A growing trend in the production of new and innovative bakery products is to use‌ underutilised plant materials as functional ingredients in the bakery industry․ Cucurbita moschata (butternut squash) has the‌ potential to be used as a composite flour; however‚ its effects on the nutritional‚ functional and sensory properties of wheat-based bread have yet to be determined․ The proximate composition‚ functional properties and colour characteristics of Cucurbita moschata flour and the sensory evaluation of wheat-composite bread were‌ studied․ Cucurbita moschata flour was produced by drying‚ milling‌ and‌ sieving the squash․ This‌ flour was blended‌ with wheat flour at 20%‚ 30%‚ 40% and 50% substitution levels to produce the bread․ Proximate composition‚ functional properties and colour of Cucurbita moschata flour were determined by standard‌ methods. Sensory analysis of the bread‌ samples was conducted using‌ a 7-point hedonic scale with 50 untrained panellists․ The‌ percentage compositions of moisture‚‌ crude fat‚ crude fibre‚ ash‚ crude protein and carbohydrate in the Cucurbita moschata flour were: 8․23 ± 0․07‚ 1․53 ± 0․09‚ 5․54 ± 0․03‚ 6․90 ± 0․05‚ 11․90 ± 0․04 and 65․90 ± 0․03‚ respectively․ The energy content was 324․40 ± 0․05 kcal/100 g․ The water absorption‚ oil absorption‚ swelling power‚ and solubility‌ of the flour in g/g were‚ respectively‚ 2․59 ± 0․02‚ 1․26 ± 0․09‚ 3․43 ± 0․12‚ and 17․24‌ ± 0․08․ Proximate analysis‌ was done on selected bread samples and the results indicated that the addition of 20% C․ moschata flour modified the moisture‚ fibre‚ ash‚ protein‚ fat‚ and carbohydrate‌ contents of the bread‚ when compared with the control․ Sensory evaluation showed‌ important differences among formulations‚‌ with 20% composite bread having the highest mean sensory score․ The results also showed the impact of the incorporation of C․ moschata flour into wheat bread formulae on the compositional‚ functional‚ and sensory characteristics of the composite bread․