QUALITY EVALUATION OF COOKIES PRODUCED FROM WHEAT AND QUALITY PROTEIN MAIZE FLOUR BLENDS

The study evaluated the proximate, mineral, functional, and sensory properties of cookies produced from wheat and quality protein maize (QPM) flour blends. Four cookie formulations were prepared: Sample A (100% wheat flour), Sample B (95% wheat + 5% QPM), Sample C (90% wheat + 10% QPM), and Sample D (85% wheat + 15% QPM). The proximate composition revealed moisture content of 9.55–10.47%, crude protein 10.39–13.09%, crude fibre 1.65–3.23%, crude fat 6.14–7.98%, ash 1.17–2.22%, and carbohydrate 65.34–68.36%. Mineral analysis showed that zinc and magnesium contents increased significantly with QPM supplementation, with the highest values of 2.46 mg/100 g and 152.50 mg/100 g, respectively, observed in Sample D. Functional properties indicated that bulk density decreased from 0.66 to 0.58 g/cm³, water absorption capacity ranged from 1.19% to 1.38%, and oil absorption capacity increased from 1.76% to 2.05%, reflecting improved water and oil retention of the composite flours. Sensory evaluation demonstrated high acceptability of all cookie samples, with colour, taste, texture, flavour, and overall acceptability scores ranging from 7.75 to 8.20 on a 9-point hedonic scale. The study concluded that incorporation of QPM flour improved protein, mineral, and functional properties of cookies without compromising sensory quality, with the 85% wheat + 15% QPM formulation being nutritionally superior. These findings suggest that wheat-QPM composite cookies could serve as a protein- and mineral-enriched snack for consumers.