Physicochemical properties of sweet potato cookies fortified with some nutrients

Micronutrient deficiencies have become a chronic health problem especially in the developing countries over the world. An attempt to overcome some micronutrient deficiencies was performed in this study by providing a fortification of sweet potato cookies. Fortification of 1.25 g vitamin C, 75 mg iron, 42 mcg vitamin B12, 2000 mcg folic acid and 10.5 mg vitamin A per 100 g cookies was conducted. Physicochemical properties of the fortified cookies, as well as the evaluation of micronutrients retention in the cookies were investigated. Vitamins A, C and folic acid in the cookies were analyzed by HPLC method, whilst for iron by AAS method. Fortified sweet potato cookies had different characteristics from the control (unfortified) either in the chemical, physical or sensory properties. The fortification significantly increased the hardness of the cookies. However, the fortified cookies had a lower consumer preference in terms of texture and overall acceptability. The evaluation of micronutrients retention showed that the retention of vitamins in the cookies differed from each other. The amounts of vitamins A and C in the cookies could be retained more than 60% from the initial amount. In contrast, folic acid and vitamin B12 had a much lower retention (below 15%). Iron, as predicted, had 100% retention. Hence, the fortified cookies had a potential as a source of vitamin A, vitamin C and iron to overcome the micronutrient deficiencies