Utilization of Unwanted Weed, Paragis Leaves (Eleusine indica Linn.) in Cookie Production

Paragis is a common grass which is abundant and can be seen everywhere but is regarded as having no economic value. To add value to this grass, the study generally aimed to formulate cookies with powdered paragis leaves and mashed bananas; and specifically, it aimed to evaluate the sensory quality of the product. A 3 x 3 factorial design was used, with three levels for both powdered paragis leaves (0, 5, 10 % w/w) and mashed bananas (0, 15, 20 % w/w). Sensory evaluation was done to determine the product’s acceptability in terms of color, taste, aroma, texture, and flavor using a sensory panel. Acceptability ratings were subjected to response surface regression analysis using STATISTICA software. Results revealed that the combination of powdered paragis leaves and mashed bananas showed a significant effect on the color, aroma, texture, taste, flavor, and general acceptability of the product. The optimum combination was 8.8 % and 1.3 to 1.8% of mashed bananas and powdered paragis leaves, respectively, based on the volume of flour. It can be concluded that paragis leaves could be utilized in cookie production, providing potential value to this unwanted commodity using the optimum combination.