Formulation and Characterization of Squash Enriched Cookies

Abstract

For many people living in urban regions, fresh fruits and vegetables are practically a fantasy in the contemporary circumstances due to time constraints and the risks inherent in procuring them. To profoundly boost human nutritional value, the inclusion of abundantly produced healthy fruits and vegetables in the region and as ready-to-eat snacks is certainly desired. Squash or Chayote (Sechium edule) is prevalent in mountainous regions of India and can be found throughout the year. The people of Northeast India extensively use this vegetable in a variety of forms, despite the fact that the peel is nothing more than a waste product containing rich nutrients. Dried squash powder can be used to improve the nutritional value of a wide range of dishes. Cookies that contain little or no gluten are becoming increasingly popular. It is possible to bake gluten-free treats using sugar-snap cookies, which are heavy in fat and sugar. Squash pulp and peel powder can serve as a good substitute to wheat flour for those with gluten sensitivities. In the current study, rice flour and varied proportions of squash pulp powder were combined to achieve squash-based cookies after analysing their functional properties and proximate properties. In comparison to fresh samples, dried powdered samples were found to considerably improve the nutritional characteristics such as ash, crude fibre content, fat, carbohydrate, and protein. The squash pulp and peel powder can be utilized for baked goods. This is evident in their functional characteristics such the capacity to absorb water and oil, the lowest gelatinization temperature, and the lowest concentration of gelation. Cookies were analysed for their sensory properties by utilizing a 9-point hedonic scale and fuzzy logic analysis. It was observed that the squash-based cookies with a rice:wheat ratio of 3:1 and 30% squash pulp powder substitution were the most preferred. With greater substitution of squash pulp powder, the amount of crude fibre and vitamin C increased while the amount of fat lowered. With greater substitution of squash pulp powder, the TPC values and antioxidant activity also increased.