Studies on preparation of medicinal Shatavari cookies

Abstract

The present investigation on “Studies on preparation of medicinal (Shatavari) cookies” was undertaken to explore the underutilized or neglected but highly nutrient rich shatavari powder in bakery products. Shatavari powder is a rich source of alcohol, phenolic compounds, alkaloids and can be utilized in bakery products such as cookies. The prepared cookies were analyzed for nutritional composition. The changes occurred during storage of cookies were also studied. Preliminary experiments were conducted to find out optimum level of shatavari powder for preparation of quality cookies. The quality cookies were prepared from 6% shtavari powder and 94% refined wheat flour. Chemical composition of shatavari powder showed that the moisture content was 6.26%, carbohydrates 54.13%, protein 12.18%, fat 0.80%, crude fiber 2.72%, calcium 26.12 mg/100g and iron 10.17 mg/100g. The fresh cookies had 9.18% moisture, 15.18% protein, 26.32% fat, 3.22% crude fibre, 72.32% carbohydrates, 31.22 mg⁄100g calcium and 8.16 mg⁄100g iron. The sensory evaluation of cookies was carried out regularly at an interval of one month. The mean score for colour and appearance was 8.12, texture 7.87, flavour 7.81, taste 7.54 and overall acceptability was 7.43 on 9 point hedonic scales. Storage study of cookies showed that the cookies prepared by incorporation of 6% shatavari powder and 94% refined wheat flour packed in polypropelyene (PP) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) can be stored up to 3 months in good quality with minimum losses in sensory, nutritional and textural characteristics.