Utilization of the Whole Cowpea Pod and Barley Husk in The Production of Nutritionally Enriched Composite Flour

Abstract

Background: Cowpea is a climbing annual crop from Fabaceae family which is grown for its edible seeds and pods. Cowpea is rich in various nutrients such as fibre, protein, iron, potassium and is low in fat and calories. It has been observed that non-Communicable diseases are increasing at a rapid rate in India as well as globally. The need of the hour is to control the rate of diseases through modification in dietary practices. This study has focused on formulation of whole cowpea pod enriched composite flour by including more fibre and various nutrients in the diet. Methods: In the study, composite flour using whole cowpea pod flour, barley husk flour and whole wheat flour was developed. The nutritional characteristics of composite flour and barley husk were analyzed. Storage study with two different packaging materials was also done. Result: The composite flour was found to have good nutritional properties as it contained valuable amount of protein, energy and crude fibre. It was also found that the flour had higher content of iron, magnesium and calcium while barley husk had higher content of manganese. Laminated aluminium pouches found to be more suitable for use as a packaging material.