Nutritional and consumers acceptance of biscuit made from wheat flour fortified with partially defatted groundnut paste

Biscuit is a nutritive snack eaten by everyone and often produced from unpalatable batter transformed into appetizing product through oven heat. Wheat, the major raw material used, is deficient in essential amino acid, lysine, while groundnuts lack methionine found in wheat. Blended wheat flour and partially defatted-groundnut paste was used for production in order to replace lost nutrients. Partially defatted-groundnut paste was used to substitute wheat flour at the ratios: A (100:0); B (95:5); C (90: 10); D (85: 15); E (80: 20); F (75: 25); G (70: 30), which were mixed with other ingredients to produce biscuit at 155-180 °C for 15-20 min, cooled and packaged for analyses. The functional properties of the flour, proximate composition, colour, and sensory evaluation of the biscuit were determined using standard methods. Proximate composition revealed that Protein, Moisture-Content, Ash, Crude-Fat, Crude-Fibre and Carbohydrate respectively ranged thus: (17.14-24.90%), (8.28-13.05%), (1.07-2.76%), (25.38-28.12%), (0.84-2.34%), and (46.35-33.68%). The swelling, water and oil absorption capacities of the flour: (1.10-1.27 ml/g), (1.40-1.754 ml/g), (0.82-1.99 ml/g) respectively. Sensory evaluation shows than sample B (95% wheat flour, 5% partially defatted-groundnut paste) was the most preferred. Concluding, incorporation of partially defatted-groundnut paste into wheat flour to produce biscuits could improve nutritional content and prevent malnutrition among consumers.