Development and process standardization of wood apple seed powder based high protein cookies

Abstract

Minor forest fruit (Underutilized fruit) can be crucial for providing food and livelihood security to people experiencing poverty. Although these crops are essential for food security, income generation, and the rural poor's culture, they risk falling into disuse. Unfortunately, due to lack of attention, their potential value is not being fully explored, and they are in danger of continued genetic erosion, which could ultimately lead to their disappearance. One underutilized fruit is the Wood apple (Limonia acidissima) seed, from which protein concentrate and protein isolate can be prepared from seed flour. The study aimed to investigate the potential use of wood apple seed powder (WASP) as a cookie ingredient and its effects on nutritional composition. Different concentrations of WASP (20%, 30%, and 40%) were fortified in the cookie formulations by incorporating refined wheat flour (RWF). The highest overall acceptability scores were recorded in treatment T6 (60% RWF + 40% WASP: 8.4), followed by T4 (100% RWF (control): 8.3). The best three treatments and the control were taken from the sensory evaluation and analysed for nutrient composition. Among the different treatments, treatment T6 (60% RWF + 40% WASP) recorded the highest protein (15.07%), ash (2.59%), crude fibre (6.83%), and fat (24.04%). Fortification of wood apple seed powder in cookies enhanced the nutrient composition.