Effect of the Addition of Pearl Millet Flour Subjected to Different Processing on the Antioxidants, Nutritional, Pasting Characteristics and Cookies Quality of Rice-Based Composite Flour

Biscuit is a popular bakery product worldwide. Biscuit is widely accepted by all age group due to its longer shelf life, better taste and its position as snacks; it is also considered as a good product for protein fortification and other nutritional improvement.1 Due to competition in the market and increase demand for healthy, natural, and functional products, attempt are been made to improve the nutritive value of cookies and functionality by modifying their nutritive.2 Composite flour are being developed consisting as a substitute to primarily wheat flour in the production of baked products.3,4 Composite flours consisting cereals with legumes, fibre sources and hydrocolloids which can serve as viable alternatives to wheat flour have been researched into.5‒9 Major advantages of these composite flours are their enhanced nutritional (protein, antioxidants, fibre, minerals) in addition to being gluten-free.6,7 In addition, composite flours enhance the utilization of local and underutilized local and inexpensive food raw materials in the production of bakery products. Millets (Penisetum glaucum) are groups of small seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and staples.10 Millet could also be malted and milled into flour or brewed into various drinks and can be as well dehulled and milled into flour. Millet is predominantly starchy and the bran layer of millet is good sources of b-complex vitamins.11 It also serves as a source of antioxidant in our diets.11