Enhancing the nutritional value of gluten-free cookies with inulin

Abstract

Gluten-free products are usually not fortified and are regularly prepared from refined flour and starch. Moreover, gluten-free products with high nutritional values are lacking in the market. The main objective of this study was to enhance the nutritional value of gluten-free cookies with inulin as a source of both prebiotics and fibre. Inulin was added at four levels (3.0, 3.5%, 4.0 and 4.5%) to the gluten-free cookie control formula (corn flour, corn starch, rice flour and lupine flour). Chemical, physical and sensory characteristics were determined. The results indicated that the addition of 3.0% inulin resulted in the highest protein, fat and ash content, while 4.0% inulin gave the highest moisture content. The total dietary fibre content increased with the inulin level, but the spread factor decreased with increasing inulin level. The sensory evaluation demonstrated that the addition of dietary fibre (inulin) at different concentrations did not compromise the sensory characteristics and incorporation of 4.0% inulin had satisfactory consumer acceptance. It was concluded that enhancing gluten-free cookies with a new fibrous prebiotic substance met the nutritional demands in relation to practical demand. © Maxwell Scientific Organization, 2013.