Nutritional and Functional Properties of Wheat-Defatted Peanut-Orange Peel Composite Flour

The need to improve and enhance the nutritional quality of locally made foods (bakery and confectionaries) cannot be overemphasized. This study set out to meet this need by producing composite flours from wheat, defatted peanut and orange peel flour blends which will serve an even greater issue of reducing the cost of wheat importation and use. The samples were coded as follows: A-100:0:0, B-90:5:5, C-85:10:5, D-80:15:5, E-75:20:5 of wheat flour: Defatted peanut flour: orange peel flour. The flours produced were analyzed for functional, anti-nutrient, proximate, minerals, and phytochemical properties. The functional properties of flours; bulk density, swelling capacity, OAC, WAC, and Foaming capacity ranged from 0.43 to 0.93 g/ml, 0.89 to 5.67%, 0.47 to 2.55 g/L, 1.75 to 4.35ml/g, 0.52 to 10.56% respectively. The anti-nutritional properties: phytates, tannins, and trypsin inhibitor content of flours ranged from 0.0352 to 0.0845%, 0.040 to 0.600%, and 0.011 to 0.048mg/g respectively.  The proximate composition of the flour samples, Moisture, Protein, fats, crude fibre, ash, carbohydrates, and energy values ranged from 5.58 to 9.55%, 6.33 to 15.64%, 1.06 to 3.51%, 0.24 to 4.07%, 1.42 to 2.65%, 85.37 to 64.58% and 376.34 to 352.47kcal/100g respectively. The mineral composition in the samples ranged from 232.05 to 394.62mg/100g for Ca, 76.09 to 122.27mg/100g for Mg, 6.71 to 29.42 mg/100g for Fe, 108.78 to 256.47mg/100g for K, 10.09 to 25.75 mg/100g for Zn. The phytochemical composition of the samples was as follows; 0.067-0.153%, for saponins; 0.043-1.457%, for alkaloids; 1.03-13.77mgGAE/g, for Total phenolics; 3.07-29.31mg/QE, for Total Flavonoids respectively. The composite flour herein produced demonstrates great potential for its use in the development of functional foods given its great nutrients and improved functional characteristics. However sample E with 75%wheat: 20%DPF: 5%OPF surpassed all other samples in terms of the quality attributes and therefore was the best of the formulations.