Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science - An open access, peer reviewed international journal covering all aspects of Nutrition and Food Science

Production and Evaluation of Gluten-Free Cookies for Celiac Patients Made from Rice Flour and Green Banana Flour.

Haneen Hamed Mouminah^* and Maha Ali Althaiban

Departmen of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Human Sciences and Design, University of King Abdulaziz, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Corresponding Author E-mail: hmouminah@kau.edu.sa

Demand for gluten-free food products is on the rise, largely due to heightened consumer awareness regarding celiac disease. This study was conducted to develop quality characteristics of gluten-free cookies produced by replacing rice flour with 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% green banana flour. The methodology consisted of evaluating the cookie samples was evaluated in terms of chemical composition, physical properties (diameters, weights, thickness and spread ratio), textural properties (cookies hardness), color characteristics (L* (Lightness), a*(redness), b* (yellowness), hue angle and ΔE (Numerical total color difference), as well as microbiological analysis and sensory properties. The results indicated that the cookie samples showed a gradual reduction in moisture, protein, lipid, and total carbohydrate contents, while there was a gradual increase in both crude fiber and ash content with increasing levels of replacement with green banana flour.  The physical properties showed a gradual increase in weight, thickness and hardness of cookie samples, while there was a gradual decline in both diameter and spread ratio with increasing percentage of replacement with green banana flour in comparison to the control sample. The color characteristics of the cookie samples showed that a gradual decline in the L* values and b* values, while the a* value of the gluten-free cookies was gradually increased with increasing levels of substitution with green banana flour compared to the control sample. Microbiological assessments showed that the cookie samples produced exhibited a low microbial count, confirming their microbiological safety. Neither Escherichia coli nor Salmonella spp. were detected in any sample throughout the storage periods of 2, 30, 60, and 90 days at ambient temperature (25 ± 2°C). Sensory evaluations revealed that cookie samples prepared by replacing rice flour with 20% green banana flour, received the highest ratings for color, flavor, texture, crispiness, and overall acceptability.

Celiac Disease; Green Banana Flour; Gluten-Free Cookies; Rice Flour

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