QUALITY EVALUATION OF NOVEL BISCUITS SUPPLIMENTED WITH WATERMELON (Citrullus lanatus) SEEDS AND MORINGA (Moringa oleifera) LEAVES POWDER

Abstract

Proteins, fibers and minerals are particularly abundant in watermelon seeds and moringa leaves. The current study's goal was to determine the effects of adding watermelon seeds and moringa leaves to whole wheat flour biscuits on the biscuits overall quality while taking into account the nutritional benefits of those powders. Watermelon seeds and moringa leaf powder were combined with whole wheat flour in three different ratios 10:90 (WSMLB1), 15:85 (WSMLB2), and 20:80 (WSMLB3) to create composite flours. The composite flours were used to make biscuits, which were then tested for physical characteristics, proximate composition, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, mineral content and sensory evaluation. The findings indicated that compared to whole wheat flour, biscuits made with watermelon seeds and moringa leaves had higher levels of protein, crude fat, ash, and crude fiber. The experimented biscuit contained 9.81-11.62% protein, 17.53-21.72% fat, 1.25-1.72% ash, 3.11-4.06% fiber, and 69.62-61.77% carbohydrates, respectively. When compared to the control, the prepared biscuit had greater levels of bioactive substances, total flavonoid content, and total phenolic content, ranging from 26.12 to 49.17 mg GAE/100 ml and 80.03 to 122.75 mg QE/100g, respectively and antioxidant activity increases 35.166 to 48.97 mg TE/100gm. Additionally, larger levels of the minerals (Fe, Mg, K, and Zn) were found in the supplemented biscuit (20.0-35.2 mg/gm, 0.50-0.91 mg/gm, 0.20-1.4 mg/gm, 0.45-0.65 mg/gm) as compared to the control. With the addition of powdered watermelon seed and moringa leaves for enrichment, the sensory characteristics were noted as being within the acceptable range. Consequently, the developed biscuit is highly nutrient-dense and can be recognized as functional food.