Antioxidative properties and sensory evaluation of white bread containing pre-treated cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L) flour

Abstract

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) has limited characteristics since it has a high content of antinutritional properties. The pretreatment process by a combination of germination and roasting of cowpeas, called pretreated cowpea was done to prepare the flour made from cowpeas. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the pretreatment of cowpea flour affected the antioxidant content and other characteristics of white bread. This study used 0-10.4% (w/w) of the flour as a wheat flour substitute for making white bread. The dough was baked at 175°C for 40 minutes. The results showed that substituting pre-treated cowpea flour affected the bread colour, volume expansion, total phenolic content as well as antioxidant capacity. Pre-treated cowpea flour enhanced the total phenolic compound, antioxidant activity, moisture content, and darker colour, whereas the expansion rate was reduced. The best formula was found by using 5.2% of pretreated cowpea flour. It has good characteristics at colour properties, volume expansion by 12.14%; moisture content was 27.62%, total phenol was 86.24 mg GAE/100 g, antioxidant activity was 29.67 %RSA, and sensory score was 3.75 (preferred). Therefore, the pre-treated cowpea flour can be utilized as a natural antioxidant source in white bread recipes.