STORAGE STABILITY OF BLACK WHEAT SUPPLEMENTED FUNCTIONAL COOKIES IN DIFFERENT PACKAGING MATERIALS: A SENSORY, PHYSICAL, COLOUR AND MICROBIAL QUALITY EVALUATION

Abstract

Black wheat is a nutrient-dense cereal valued for its anthocyanin, phytochemicals, dense amino acid profile and its incorporation into cookies offers a route to functional, nutraceutical-rich products. This study evaluated wheat flour cookies supplemented with black wheat flour at graded levels to identify a blend that combines acceptable sensory quality with improved physical, texture and microbial quality with stable storage quality. The incorporation of Black wheat flour in increased the weight of cookies and thickness and the diameter and spread ratio of the cookies was decreased progressively from with the increasing level of Black wheat flour. There was progressive increase in hardness of cookies with addition of Black wheat flour in composite cookies. The hardness increased from 8.123 Kg to 12.494 Kg. Black wheat supplemented cookies could be stored up to 180 days at ambient conditions by using aluminium foil as a suitable packaging material.