Assessment of quality and sensory properties of sorghum–wheat flour cookies

The study was undertaken to assess the quality and sensory properties of sorghum (Sorghum vulgare)–wheat (Triticum aestivum) flour cookies. The chemical, physico-chemical parameters and sensory qualities of flours/cookies were studied and compared with control cookies from wheat flour. Sorghum flour was produced from whole sorghum grains and then incorporated at 5–50% level in wheat flour. The results revealed that substitution of wheat flour with sorghum flour significantly (p < 0.05) increased the moisture, ash, crude fiber, protein and fat contents of the mixture increased as the percentage of substitution of sorghum flour increased. While the sugar and starch contents decreased as the sorghum flour substitution increased. The proximate composition (moisture, ash, crude fiber, fat, protein, starch and sugar) of wheat flour were 8.64 ± 0.18, 1.57 ± 0.04, 1.42 ± 0.05, 2.29 ± 0.06, 8.48 ± 0.12, 76.92 ± 0.31 and 1.68 ± 0.13 while that of sorghum flour were 10.28 ± 0.39, 2.41 ± 0.49, 2.32 ± 0.14, 3.83 ± 0.21, 10.72 ± 0.24, 70.38 ± 0.10 and 1.16 ± 0.02. The proximate composition of composite flours with different levels of sorghum flour substitution ranged from 8.76 ± 0.19 to 9.16 ± 0.31, 1.61 ± 0.05 to 1.88 ± 0.16, 1.48 ± 0.03 to 1.79 ± 0.10, 2.36 ± 0.07 to 2.74 ± 0.12, 8.54 ± 0.12 to 9.26 ± 0.24, 75.67 ± 0.30 to 72.94 ± 0.14 and 1.63 ± 0.11 to 1.32 ± 0.05. The calorific value of the cookies decreased from 489 ± 1.88 to 421 ± 1.48 cal/100 g as the percentage of sorghum flour increased in the wheat flour cookies. Sensory evaluation results showed that the color, texture, taste and overall acceptability changed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with increase in sorghum flour substitution. The study concluded that cookies from sorghum–wheat flour blends are advantageous as a means of reducing heavy demands on importation of wheat by developing countries