Physicochemical properties, antioxidant activities, β-carotene content, and sensory properties of cookies from pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) and modified cassava flour (Manihot esculenta)

In a tropical region, pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) and cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) are abundant agricultural products in Indonesia. Pumpkin is a rich source of several metabolites, including carbohydrates, protein, carotenoids, tryptophan, sterols, and fatty acids. At the same time, modified cassava flour (mocaf) is widely used in food product formulation since it benefits human health, such as gluten-free. The present studies aim to evaluate the effect of pumpkin flour addition on the physicochemical properties, sensory properties and antioxidant activities of mocaf-based cookie products. There were three formulations of mocaf-pumpkin cookies (85:15%, 77.5:22.5%, 70:30%) and two controls consisting of wheat flour cookies (100%) and mocaf cookies (100%). The results showed that the mocaf-pumpkin cookies have similar properties on surface morphology, functional groups, and crystallinity, evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR) and x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), respectively. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that mocaf-pumpkin cookies, with a ratio of 77.5:22.5%, had the highest beta-carotene content as of 1.100 μg/g. The antioxidant assay revealed that mocaf-pumpkin cookies with a ratio of 77.5:22.5 % had the highest value of 14.03 % at 1000 ppm. Furthermore, the sensory evaluation showed that the mocaf-pumpkin cookie with a ratio of 77.5:22.5% was the more acceptable formulation. The result of this study indicated that pumpkin flour combined with mocaf in cookie production has a potential benefit to human health as the source of natural antioxidants.