Millet Cookies with Pumpkin Pulp as a Functional Product

This research work was carried out to explore the possibility of utilization of underutilized but highly nutrient rich pearl millet and pumpkin pulp in cookies. Cookies are generally made from Maida flour that provides high energy but low in fibre. Bakery products are often high in energy and fat and the most consumed bakery products is cookies. This research work proposed a healthy composition of cookies by incorporating pumpkin pulp while replacing usual principal ingredients like Maida flour with Pearl Millet (Bajra) and refined sugar with honey. The quality cookies were prepared from 50% pearl millet flour and 50% pumpkin pulp,60% pearl millet flour and 40% pumpkin pulp, 70% pearl millet flour and 30% pumpkin pulp and 80% pearl millet flour and 20%pumpkin pulp. There was decrease in carbohydrates and fat and increase in moisture, vitamins, ash and dietary fibre .Good quality cookies can be prepared by substituting pumpkin pulp(40%) with pearl millet flour (60%).This study evaluated the health benefits of millet pumpkin cookies based on their nutritional value and sensory analysis. pearl Millets are rich in all nutritious aspects like vitamins, fats, protein and also high in micronutrients such as folic acid, niacin and Vitamin B6, B complex vitamins that help in providing various medical and health benefits, millets into diet will reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems helps in treating constipation, diabetes ,obesity, hyperlipidemia. Pumpkin flesh is rich in fibre, vitamin C, vitamin E, Mg, K and a variety of carotenoids being the important sources of these amazing phytonutrients and its prevent various diseases, such asantidiabetic, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, and anti-inflammatory.