Physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of cookies prepared from sorghum and millet composite flour

Sorghum and millet are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds. They can enhance nutrition and health. This study was aimed to develop sorghum-millet gluten-free cookies from sorghum and millet composite flour. Cookies were made using 100% wheat WF100%, sorghum SF100% ,and millet MF100% flours and composite flours of 25% sorghum-75% millet (SF25%-MF75%), 50% sorghum-50% millet (SF50%-MF50%), and 75% sorghum-25% millet (SF75%-MF25%). The physicochemical, nutritional, bioactive, and sensory quality attributes of the developed cookies were evaluated. The results of flours displayed that the highest values of peak viscosity and final viscosity were observed in SF100%, breakdown and pasting temperature were observed in WF100%, setback viscosity in composite flour of SF25%-MF75%, and hardness and chewiness in WF100%. Regarding cookies analysis results, the highest values of hardness were shown in WF100% and SF100% cookies, and the highest water activity was observed in the cookies of (SF25%-M175% and SF50%-M150%), and the (SF75%-MF25%) cookies had the best diameter and thickness. The lowest water-holding capacity (WHC) and oil-holding capacity (OHC) were found in (WF100%) cookies, while they were high in the cookies of SF and MF flours and their combinations (p <=.05). The cookies made using the composite flour of SF25%-MF75% appeared to have the uppermost values of moisture, protein, fat, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity. They have the highest contents (p <=.05) of potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium. The scores of all sensory attributes of all cookie types were higher than the cutoff score (5). Overall, the incorporation of sorghum and millet flour in cookies formulation enhanced the physicochemical, nutritional, and bioactive properties without major effect on the sensory attributes of the product, which make it excellent nutritive and healthy sorghum-millet gluten-free cookies.