Sensory acceptability and nutritional quality of composite bread with added puree from biofortified beans in Malawi

Of late, the global supply of wheat is increasingly becoming lower and lower due to the continuing Russia–Ukraine war, blockages of major seaports as a result of the war and climate change. Importing countries are hardest hit as prices skyrocket. Millions of people relying on bread as staple food are affected in multiple ways. New methods to prepare composite bread that meets sensory and nutritional needs of consumers are needed to help address the problem. This study modified the standard recipe and developed bread with 20%, 30% and 50% of the wheat flour substituted by puree from NUA 45 biofortified beans. Ascorbic acid was added to improve the functionality of the yeast and the quality of the bread. Testers rated the 20% bean puree bread as the most acceptable. The appearance, flavour and taste imparted by the bean puree and lemon juice were the major sensory attributes for acceptance, accounting for over 65.79% of the variance in the principal component analysis. Although the test bread was slightly denser than the traditional one with 100% wheat flour, the bean puree enhanced the nutritional quality with average proximate values of protein found to be 1.66 ± 0.18, fat 7.42 ± 0.36, carbohydrates 57.19 ± 0.27, iron 2.04 ± 0.03 and zinc 2.25 ± 0.02 per 100 g of sample. The study concludes that puree from beans can be used to replace 20%–30% of wheat flour in bread making. The bread can be an option for people interested in variety, heavier meals and nutrition.