Development and Evaluation of Amaranth-Soy-Wheat Composite Flours

Aims: Malnutrition among all ages is still a persistent problem in India, especially in areas where the poor largely depend on rice and wheat staples with limited access to diverse diets using underutilized foods. This study was conducted to nutritionally enhance traditional food products like roti and lapsi utilizing suitable composite flours based on amaranth, soybean and wheat without affecting their sensory quality.

Study Design: Different combinations of amaranth, soybean and wheat flours were made to suit the quality characteristics of roti and lapsi.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Foods and Nutrition, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar (India), between January and June 2016.

Methodology: The sensory evaluation of food products and estimation of nutritional composition of composite flours was done using standard procedures.

Results: The composite flours having 25% amaranth, 15% soybean and 60% wheat flour and 25% amaranth, 10% soybean and 65% wheat flour were found to be most acceptable sensorially and were significantly superior to their control counterparts for protein, ash, fibre, carbohydrate calcium and iron content (p=.05).

Conclusion: Roti made from amaranth and soybean incorporated composite flours with better protein quality and low available carbohydrates and physiological energy almost same as control would be better diet alternative to diabetic and overweight patients whereas lapsi may be effectively used as supplementary food. Many other traditional food products like laddoo, halwa, puri, parantha, burfi etc. may also be made from such composite flours.