Enhancement of Nutritional Quality of Pretzels Using Sprouted Garden Cress Seeds

The aim of this paper is to enhance the nutritional quality of pretzels using sprouted garden cress seeds. Sprouting was performed on garden cress seeds at 3 and 6 days to select the best sprouting conditions. Chemical composition, total phenols, flavonoids, and DPPH were measured on sprouted and un-sprouted garden cress. Sprouted and un-sprouted garden cress seeds were substituted at 0, 5, 10, and 15% levels with wheat flour in pretzels formula. Chemical analysis, sensory properties, and protein quality were performed on pretzels to assess their nutritional quality. After 3 and 6 days, sprouting increased (P <= 0.05) ash (9.89, 5.88%), fiber (10.20, 9.22%), and protein (24.71, 25.92%). Sensory scores showed no (P <= 0.05) differences between pretzels with sprouted and un-sprouted garden cress at 5 and 10% for all attributes. Pretzels with 10% sprouted garden cress was the highest (P <= 0.05) of all tested minerals. In vitro protein digestibility (78.46%), total essential amino acids (46.3%), and total non-essential amino acids (71.8 %) were increased in pretzels with 10% sprouted garden cress compared to un-sprouted seeds. Sprouted garden cress could be used to improve the nutritional quality of pretzels at 10% level of substitution with wheat flour with highly acceptability. This study leads to a valuable addition and improvement of the consumer's diet, especially with the limited exploration of the potential of sprouted garden cress seed in a popular bakery snack like pretzels.