Effect of barley flour and freeze–thaw cycles on textural nutritional and functional properties of cookies

Studies were carried out on cookies prepared by incorporating barley flour (10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) into wheat flour. The cookies were evaluated for their physical, chemical, nutritional, textural and sensory characteristics. All the cookie samples showed high fiber, mineral and protein contents when compared to those from 100% wheat flour. Incorporation of barley flour improved the color of the cookies from pale cream to golden brown. The cookies became crispier as indicated by the reduction in the breaking strength value from 4.94 to 3.29 kg. Considering the color, taste, flavor, surface appearance of the cookies, 30% incorporation of barley flour was found to be optimum giving cookies containing 1.7% β-glucan, 36.6 ppm iron, 31.8 ppm calcium, 22.9 ppm zinc while the texture characteristics showed that 30% barley incorporated cookies had breaking strength of 4.021 kg lower than wheat cookies and also indicating that the product was nutritionally rich as compared to the 100% wheat flour cookies. The incorporation of barley flour increased the antioxidant properties and polyphenolic content and hence increased functional properties of the cookies compared to the control. The prepared product was safe microbiologically as well as chemically upto 6 months of storage in different packaging materials under varying temperature conditions. The cookie dough contained 30% barley flour and 100% wheat flour (control) was allowed to under go frozen storage and freeze–thaw cycles (freeze for 12 h and thaw for 4 h). After each freeze–thaw cycle, cookie dough was evaluated for its texture profile and also dough was baked to prepare cookie and assessed for its physical, textural and sensory characteristics. It was found that cookies prepared after freeze–thawing of dough were crisper than the normal ones.

Research highlightsWhole barley flour as a good source of fiber, minerals seems to be suitable for the preparation of cookies. This study has shown that barley flour supplemented with wheat flour at 30% level produced acceptable cookies with increased fiber content, calcium, iron, zinc and golden yellow in color. The incorporation of barley increased the total phenolic content and antioxidant properties but it decreases slightly during baking to cookies. Cookies became less hard with increasing level of the barley flour and surface cracking of the cookies also improved. After four freeze–thaw cycles of 30% barley incorporated and 100% wheat flour (control) dough undergo increase cohesiveness and decrease adhesiveness that also gives more crispiness to the baked cookies. It significantly affects the texture of cookie dough and cookie after baking. As barley flour added in cookies, high sensory scores showed that it gave anti-staling effect during storage upto 6 months and safe chemically and microbiologically after 6 months of storage at different packaging material at different temperatures.