Evaluation of the Sensory, Physical, Chemical Properties and antioxidant activity of Gluten-Free Biscuits Made from Cornflour with the Addition of Stevia leaf powder and Moringa oleifera leaf powder

• Hiba Ahmed Ibrahim

  Author

The demand for gluten-free bakery products has been increasing in recent years. However, research on the use of Stevia leaf powder in combination with Moringa oleifera leaf powder in such products remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and evaluate gluten-free biscuits made from corn flour fortified with Moringa oleifera leaf powder and stevia leaf powder as a sugar substitute.

The sensory evaluation results showed that the corn flour biscuits significantly outperformed the conventional wheat flour biscuits (control sample) in most sensory attributes. The fortified biscuits achieved a higher overall acceptability score (9.8 vs. 8.6) and exhibited a more attractive color, receiving a perfect score of 10, which was attributed to the presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in Moringa oleifera leaf powder and bioactive compounds in stevia. Aroma and after-chew mouthfeel also received perfect scores of 10, while texture scored an excellent 9, likely due to the high dietary fiber content.

In addition to their superior sensory quality, the fortified biscuits demonstrated improved physical properties, including increased thickness and diameter while maintaining a satisfactory spread ratio.

Chemical analysis revealed significant nutritional improvements, including higher levels of protein, dietary fiber, and ash (mineral content), reaching 26.70%, 20.5%, and 11.8%, respectively. These improvements were attributed to the incorporation of stevia and Moringa oleifera leaf powders, which are naturally rich in these components. Meanwhile, the total carbohydrate content decreased significantly to 18.1% compared with the conventional biscuits.

The antioxidant activity of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts, determined using the DPPH assay, showed that free radical scavenging activity increased with increasing extract concentration, reaching 19.05%, 38.98%, 57.44%, 69.08%, and 73.65% at concentrations of 30, 60, 120, 250, and 500 ppm, respectively. Phytochemical analysis further showed antioxidant-related compounds at levels of 44.25, 98.9, 74.0, and 32.6 mg/g for alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, and tannins, respectively.

These findings demonstrate that replacing less healthy ingredients with nutritionally beneficial alternatives represents an innovative strategy for developing healthier food products. Furthermore, combining stevia leaf powder with Moringa oleifera leaf powder helps address an existing research gap while enhancing both consumer acceptability and the nutritional value of gluten-free biscuits, making them a healthier and more distinctive alternative to conventional wheat biscuits.

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