A Comparative Study on the Nutritional and Sensory Qualities of Biscuits Supplemented with Brown Rice and White Rice Flour from Selected Rice Varieties

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa) is the staple food of Sri Lankans and more than 60% of the global population which directly supply more than 42% of calories consumed by the entire human population. As staple foods, rice provides a greater proportion of carbohydrate, dietary fiber and protein. In addition, rice is a rich source of vitamin B , vitamin E and minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and phosphorus. Rice and rice products provide a large number of phytochemicals and antioxidants, which exert protection against gastrointestinal cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, a research was conducted to assess the nutritional and sensory qualities of biscuits supplemented with brown and white rice flour of selected varieties namely Suwandel, At 309 and Bg 94-1. Rice bran has better nutritional value therefore the biscuits were prepared using whole grain rice flour with 1:2 proportion of brown rice and white rice flour. For the preparation of biscuits, sugar and margarine were mixed to produce a creamy mixture. Then, the rice flour, baking powder, corn flour, margarine, sunflower oil, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla essence were added and thoroughly mixed to form a consistent hard dough. The dough was spread, cut into circular shapes of 4cm diameter and baked in an oven at 180℃ for 25 minutes. The baked products were stored in metallized laminated pouches under ambient conditions of 30℃ and 70-80% RH for 2 months. During the storage period, the biscuits were subjected to nutritional and sensory analysis at 2 weeks intervals. The sensory evaluation was carried out by 30 experienced panelists using a 7- point hedonic scale. Results revealed that the biscuits which were prepared with Suwandel obtained the highest overall acceptability value of 6.88+0.21 compared to other varieties. Nutritional analysis proved that the biscuits made with Suwandel rice variety had the highest fiber, protein and ash contents of 1.83%, 6.28% and 1.41%, respectively and Bg 94-1 variety poses the highest fat content of 12.3%. Based on the nutritional and sensory evaluation, biscuits prepared from Suwandel rice variety was considered as the best among the tested rice varieties.