Quality of Cookies Produced from Blends of False Yam (Icacina tricachantha) and Wheat Flours

This study evaluated the cookies produced from blends of processed false yam (Icacina tricachantha) and wheat flours. False yam tubers were peeled, washed, cut into pieces and steeped in clean water for 24 h. The steeped false yam was oven dried and pulverized into flour. The flour was blended with wheat flour at ratios of 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40 and 50:50% of wheat and false yam flour, respectively. Each of the flour blend was used in cookies production. Proximate, physical and sensory properties of the cookies were evaluated and data generated were statistically analysed. The result of proximate composition of cookies ranged from 7.8 to 10.22%, 6.15 to 10.66%, 8.63 to 9.21%, 2.41 to 2.74%, 1.57 to 1.67%, 65.95 to 72.86%, 377.94 to 400.59 kcal and 90.79 to 91.37% for crude protein, fat, moisture, ash, crude fibre, carbohydrate, energy value and dry matter, respectively. Moisture and carbohydrate contents increased (p<0.5) with increase in false yam substitution of wheat. The result of physical properties showed that weight (54.20-39.99g), diameter (6.92-7.10 cm), spread ratio (9.61-9.79) and breaking strength (10.28-12.11 g) of the cookies increased (p< 0.05) with increase in false yam substitution up to 30%. Sensory evaluation results revealed that the reference sample (100% wheat) scores were not significantly (p>0.05) different from 10% wheat substituted cookie scores except for taste. In conclusion, the result indicated that good quality cookies could be produced from blends of wheat and false yam flours.Keywords: False yam, processing, blends, cookies and quality