Physico-chemical, textural, sensory and antioxidant characteristics of gluten – Free cookies made from raw and germinated Chenopodium (Chenopodium album) flour

• Germination effect on the nutritional benefits of Chenopodium album flour cookies was studied.
• Germination provides gluten free cookies with nutritionally superior quality.
• Antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and dietary fibre content of gluten free cookies increased.
• Pasting viscosity and pasting temperature values were reduced by germination.
• Gluten-free cookies with higher acceptability were obtained.

The present study was conducted to prepare the gluten-free cookies from raw and germinated Chenopodium album flours. The physico-chemical, functional, pasting and morphological properties of raw and germinated C. album flour were studied. The gluten free cookies developed from both flours were compared with wheat flour cookies. Germination increased protein content of flour from 13.12 g to 15.45 g/100 g, total dietary fibre from 35.50 g to 38.61 g/100 g, antioxidant activity from 14.10% to 18.20% and total phenolic from 241 mg/100 g to 565 mg/100 g while fat content was decreased from 6.5 g to 4.13 g/100 g and carbohydrate from 54.61 g to 50.66 g/100 g, respectively. Germination improved functional properties and decreased pasting properties of C. album flour. Scanning electron micrographs of flour revealed the presence of polygonal and angular starch granules. The raw flour showed continuous composite structure of starch embedded in dense protein matrix. However germination caused destruction of this continuous structure. Germinated C. album flour cookies revealed highest antioxidant activity (23.97 g/100 g), total phenolic (671 mg/100 g) and total dietary fibre (38.77 g/100 g) as compared to raw C. album and wheat flour cookies.