PROXIMATE AND SENSORY PROPERTIES OF BISCUITS MADE FROM WHEAT-MAIZE FLOUR BLENDS FORTIFIED WITH SOYBEANS

This study investigated the proximate composition and sensory properties of biscuits produced from composite flours of, wheat, maize and soybean. The research aimed to enhance the nutritional value of the traditional wheat based biscuits by incorporating maize and soybean flours, which are rich in fibre and protein, respectively. Flour blends were prepared in varying proportions and used to bake biscuits. Proximate analysis was conducted to determine moisture, protein, fat, fiber, ash, and carbohydrate contents while sensory evaluation involved assessing the biscuits for taste, texture, colour and overall acceptability using a nine point hedionic scale. Results showed that increasing soybean flour significantly improved the protein content from 7.63 to 13.17 g/100g, fat content from 29.20 to 38.81 and fibre from 0.17 to 0.63g/100g among biscuit samples. Sensory analysis revealed that biscuits from formulated blends (sample B, C and D) compared favourably with 100% wheat-based biscuits (sample A) in terms of overall acceptability. This study demonstrates the potential of composite flours in improving the nutritional profile of biscuits without compromising sensory quality, offering a viable option for producing more nutritious and affordable snacks. The study recommends sample D (50% wheat to 40% soyabeans to 10% maize flour blend) because it was the best product in terms of protein content and also has a general acceptability score of 6.87 out of a nine point hedionic scale.