Journal of Culinary Science & Technology

ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wcsc20

The Effect of Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) Leaves

Powder on Nutritional, Textural, Sensorial and
Antioxidant Properties of Cookies

Seyedeh Zeinab Asadi & Mohammad Ali Khan

To cite this article: Seyedeh Zeinab Asadi & Mohammad Ali Khan (2020): The Effect of Beetroot
(Beta�vulgaris�L.) Leaves Powder on Nutritional, Textural, Sensorial and Antioxidant Properties of
Cookies, Journal of Culinary Science & Technology, DOI: 10.1080/15428052.2020.1787285

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/15428052.2020.1787285

Published online: 30 Jun 2020.

Submit your article to this journal

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=wcsc20
JOURNAL OF CULINARY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
https://doi.org/10.1080/15428052.2020.1787285

The Effect of Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) Leaves Powder on

Nutritional, Textural, Sensorial and Antioxidant Properties
of Cookies
Seyedeh Zeinab Asadi and Mohammad Ali Khan
Department of Post-Harvest Engineering & Technology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The effects of added dried beetroot leaves powder (DBLP) at Received 16 January 2020
different percentages (0, 4.5, 7, 9.5, and 12%) on quality of Revised 30 May 2020
cookies were evaluated. Results indicated that the increasing Accepted 22 June 2020
level of DBLP helped to improve the nutrient and phytonutrient KEYWORDS
of cookies. The enriched cookie with DBLP enhanced most Beetroot green; vegetable
parameters viz, moisture content, protein, total, insoluble and waste; enriched cookie;
soluble dietary fiber, crude fiber, fat, ash, phenolic content and phytochemical
antioxidant activity, while carbohydrate was decreased. The characteristics
cookie’s hardness was elevated with the rise of DBLP in which
the cookie containing 4.5% DBLP received the highest accept­
ability score among all cookies incorporated with DBLP.

Introduction
The increase in consumer demand regarding healthy ready-to-use foods has
drastically sparked the intention of creating nutritious food products using
proper sources of materials in which the nutritional quality of food material
are of great importance (Yangilar., 2013; Elleuch et al., 2011). The consumers
who are interested in healthy diet and lifestyle, believe that food products are
not only intended to satiate hunger but they also should provide humans with
essential nutrients in order to prevent nutrition-related diseases (Betoret et al.,
2011; O’Shea et al., 2012).
Cookie, a popular ready-to-consume bakery product, is used by most
people throughout the world. This product is a rich source of energy due
to containing refined wheat flour with a significant amount of sugar and
fat, but it is depleted in valuable nutrients (Manley, 2001). Consequently,
the traditional wheat-based cookies are not healthy for human body
systems as a regular intake; thus, the improvement of their nutritional
value is of crucial importance (Foschia, Peressini, Sensidoni, & Brennan,
201318; Manley, 2001).
A large number of agricultural and food industrial by-products regarded as
wastes are generated every year (Anal, 2017; Lai et al., 2017). These wastes are

CONTACT Seyedeh Zeinab Asadi [email protected] Department of Post-Harvest Engineering &

Technology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh- 202002, U.P., India
© 2020 Taylor & Francis
2 S. Z. ASADI AND M. A. KHAN

generally disposed in the environment, causing ecological problems, while

they can be used as sources of nutrients and phytochemicals in food products
(Anal, 2017; Elleuch et al., 2011). Nowadays, some of these wastes are used in
food products, e.g., citrus peel, which is used to produce alcohol, pectin and
essences (Lai et al., 2017; Oreopoulou & Tzia, 2007), apple pomace, defatted
soybean meal and rice bran that are reused in the production of pectin,
isolated soy protein and rice bran oil, respectively (Anal, 2017; Lai et al.,
2017). The mango peel is also applied as a functional ingredient into some
bakery products (Jahurul et al., 2015). Though several by-products also are
being utilized in animal feed, fertilizers and cosmetic industries, still a proper
strategy is required in management and utilization of these by-products, either
partial or full substitute in making new food product (Anal, 2017; Lai et al.,
2017).
Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.), a traditional vegetable in many countries,
belongs to the family of Chenopodiaceae. Its leaves, known as “beetroot
greens”, are occasionally utilized as an organic fertilizer, animal feed, and
traditional medicine (Amnah, 2013; Biondo et al., 2014). Due to the lack
of awareness or dietary habits, beetroot leaves are not commonly used as
vegetables and considered as wastes (Biondo et al., 2014). Fernandez,
Jagus, and Agüero (2017) demonstrated that beetroot leaf and its bulb
are both valuable sources of nutrients, besides the values of anti-nutrition
(tannins, oxalate and phytate) in beetroot leaves are either equal or lower
than that of some other leafy vegetables like spinach (Spinacia oleracea
L.). Beetroot leaf contains protein, fiber, minerals and vitamins e.g. pyr­
idoxine, cyanocobalamin, folic acid and calcium, phytochemical com­
pounds including phenolic compounds (quercetin, kaempferol and
rutin), plant pigments (chlorophylls, carotenoids, and betalains) and con­
sequently antioxidant activity. Moreover, beetroot leaf is a rich source of
omega-3 such as linolenic acid (Biondo et al., 2014; Fernandez et al., 2017;
Elaby & Ali, 2018).
There are some studies on the addition of dried beetroot powder, its extract,
and beetroot pomace powder into cookie formulations (Amnah, 2013; Ingle,
Ingle, Thorat, Nimbalkar, & Nawkar, 2017; Sahni et al., 2016). Nevertheless,
the published reports on supplemented cookies with dried beetroot leaves are
unprecedented. In addition to applied nutrients, the sensory quality is one of
the leading selling points of food products. In this perspective, since the
supplementation of cookies with non-wheat flour presumably contributes
some alteration to cookie quality, the present research aimed to evaluate the
physicochemical, textural, and sensorial properties of cookies incorporated
with dried beetroot leaves powder (DBLP) at different levels (0, 4.5, 7, 9.5, and
12%). The percentages of DBLP were based on preliminary baking trials on the
sensorial and physical properties of cookies.
 JOURNAL OF CULINARY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 3

Materials and methods

Raw materials

The leaves of beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) were collected from local vegetable
markets. All ingredients of cookie preparation were purchased from local
supermarkets. Laboratory and analytical grade chemicals and solvents were
used in this study.

Preparation of DBLP
The fresh beetroot leaves were washed and sanitized using the sodium hypo­
chlorite solution (40 ppm) for 30 min as proposed by Galla, Pamidighantam,
Karakala, Gurusiddaiah, and Akula (2017). The DBLP was prepared following
procedure by Asadi and Khan (2019). Briefly, after blanching by a microwave
system (Kenstar KE20CBGJ MGA, India) at 560 W for 50 s, the beetroot leaves
were dried using a tray dryer (Biogen Scientific C.A.T. No. BGS-123 Sr. No.
101742 U.P. India) at 60 ± 2°C for 7 h. After grinding by a domestic blender
(Tandem brand, India), the DBLP was passed through 180 µm size of
U.S. standard sieve (SETHI company, India). The leaves were put in low-
density polyethylene pouches (LDPE), which were sealed using heat sealer
(Golden Eagle, India) and then stored at −18°C for further use.

Cookie preparation
Cookies were prepared based on the method recommended by Kar, Mukherjee,
Ghosh, and Bhattacharyya (2013). The composite flour used in the present
study was a blend of refined wheat flour and DBLP in the ratios of 100/0, 95.5/
4.5, 93/7, 90.5/9.5, and 88/12 based on (w/w)% for production of five cookie
samples. The ratio of 100/0 was considered as a control cookie. Percentages of
ingredients in the cookie sample were as follows: 100% composition flour, 48%
ground sugar, 38% unsalted butter, 0.5% common salt of sodium chloride,
0.75% sodium bicarbonate, 1% ammonium bicarbonate, 2% milk powder,
0.14% lecithin, 1.5% liquid vanilla flavor and 10–12% water. The prepared
consistent dough was sheeted with a thickness of about 0.44 ± 0.05 cm and
was shaped in a round form with a diameter of 5 cm. The dough pieces of
circular shape were baked by electric bakery oven (Bake Tech Enterprises, New
Delhi, India) at 168 ± 2°C for 20 ± 2 min. After cooling, they were packaged in
LDPE pouches, sealed, and kept at ambient temperature for further analysis.

Chemical analysis
Refined wheat flour, DBLP, and cookies were analyzed based on methods of
analysis of AOAC (1999) for moisture content, crude protein, crude fat, crude
4 S. Z. ASADI AND M. A. KHAN

fiber, total ash content and dietary fiber (total, soluble and insoluble).
Following the formula given by Uthumporn, Woo, Tajul, and Fazilah (2015)
and Schakel, Buzzard, and Gebhardt (1997), the total carbohydrate content
(%) and energy value (Kcal per 100 g) of the samples were calculated according
to Equations (1) and (2), respectively:
Total carbohydrateð%Þ ¼ 100 ðP% þ F% þ Ash% þ Moisture%Þ (1)

Total energyðKcal=100g Þ ¼ ð9 � F%Þ þ 4 � ðP% þ Carbohydrate%Þ (2)

Where P indicates the protein, and F represents the fat content of a sample.

Phytochemical analysis
Preparing the extract solution
The methanolic extract solution was prepared as per reported procedure by
Choudhury, Badwaik, Borah, Sit, and Deka (2015) and as done by Asadi and
Khan (2019) for estimations of total phenolic content and antioxidant activity
of samples. In brief, 1 g of the sample was blended with 10 ml of methanol.
They were placed into the ultrasonic bath (LMUC-4 40 kHz, India) for 15 min.
After keeping overnight at 4°C, they were centrifuged (Remi C.P.R. 24 plus,
India) at 7000 rpm for 15 min at 15°C. The supernatant was filtered using
Whatman filter paper grade 1. The process was repeated once more, and
supernatants were collected for further analysis.

Estimation of total phenolic content

The total phenolic content was assessed as done by Asadi and Khan (2019).
Concisely, 0.5 ml of each methanol extraction was thoroughly mixed with
1.5 ml of 10% (v/v) Folin-Ciocalteau’s solution and then stood for 3–4 min at
32 ± 2°C. After addition of 2 ml of 7% (w/v) sodium carbonate solution, the
combination was left for 60 min away from any light places, and the sample
absorbance was noted at 760 nm by a double beam of UV-Vis spectrophot­
ometer (Electronics Corporation of India limited, I CIL, UV5704SS). The total
phenolic content of the sample extractions was determined based on the
formula given by Alara, Abdurahman, and Olalere (2017) with the help of the
gallic acid standard curve (0–500 mg/ml). The result was represented as mg
gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per g of the dry weight of the sample (DWS).

Estimation of total antioxidant activity

The method recommended by Choudhury et al. (2015) was applied for the
evaluation of total antioxidant activity of a sample. In brief, 1.5 ml DPPH
solution, which was prepared by solving 0.025 g DPPH in 1000 ml purity
methanol, was mixed with 20 μL of each methanolic extract of a sample. After
incubation for 30 min in a dark place at 32 ± 2°C, the sample absorbance was
 JOURNAL OF CULINARY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 5

measured at 517 nm by a double beam UV-Vis spectrophotometer

(Electronics Corporation of India limited, ICIL, UV5704SS). The control
absorbance, which was the mixture of 1.5 ml DPPH solution with 20 μL
pure methanol, was recorded at 517 nm by the same spectrophotometer.
The total antioxidant activity was determined according to Equation (3):
Total antioxidant activityð%Þ ¼ ðCAb SAb Þ=CAb � 100 (3)
Where CAb presents the control absorbance, while SAb shows the sample
absorbance.

Functional properties

The water and oil absorption capacity

The water absorption capacity (WAC) and oil absorption capacity (OAC) of
refined wheat flour and DBLP were measured using the method suggested by
Kumar, Sharma, Khan, and Semwal (2016); 1 g sample was stirred with 10 ml
distilled water or refined soybean oil for 5 min in a centrifuge tube for estima­
tion of WAC and OAC, respectively. This mixture was kept aside at ambient
temperature for 30 min and then centrifuged for 15 min at 6000 rpm. After
keeping for another 5 min, the supernatant was carefully decanted, and then the
centrifuge tube was weighed. The WAC and OAC were determined by using the
following Equation (4). The results showed that how much water or oil was
retained by each g of the dry weight of a sample (g oil or water/g D.W.S).
Water or oil absorption capacityðg water or oil=g DWSÞ
¼ ðMC2 MC1Þ=MS (4)
Where MC2 (g) is the weight of centrifuge tube with sample after decantation
of water or oil, MC1 (g) indicates the weight of centrifuge tube with sample
before the addition of water or oil, and MS (g) represents the weight of the
used dried sample.

Color attributes

The color characteristics of refined wheat flour, DBLP, and the central part of
cookie samples were determined with regards to L*, a*, and b* values by using
a Hunter Color Lab (ColorFlex EZ, Hunter Lab. Inc., U.S.A.).

Dimensional properties of cookies

The technique performed by Kaur, Sandhu, Arora, and Sharma (2015) was
followed to calculate the diameter (D), thickness (T), and spread ratio (D/T) of
cookies.
6 S. Z. ASADI AND M. A. KHAN

Textural properties of cookies

After 24 h from the preparation of cookies, the hardness of cookie samples was
measured using the Texture Analyzer (TA.HD Plus; Stable Micro Systems,
Godalming, U.K.) with the action of Three-Point Bending Rig (HDP/3PB).
The highest force needed to break down the cookies was noted as hardness (g)
of samples.

Sensory evaluation of cookies

A panel of 20 semi-trained members evaluated several specific characteristics
of cookies (i.e., color, taste, texture, aroma as well as overall acceptability). The
system of 9-Point-Hedonic-Scale was used, whereas the score of 1 represented
dislike extremely, and 9 represented like extremely. The panelist members
were semi-trained in order to be acquainted with sensory parameters of cookie
and the aforementioned ranges of nine scores in the sensory analysis (Baljeet et
al., 2014; Ranganna, 1986).

Statistical analysis

In this research, the results of analytical experiments were expressed as the

means of triplicates ± standard deviation, and the findings of sensory
investigations were reported as the mean of twenty recorded scores by
twenty panelists ± standard deviation. The analysis of variance (ANOVA)
and Tukey’s test were used to statistically distinguish the significant differ­
ences among the characteristics of cookies, however for the evaluation of
parameters of refined wheat flour and DBLP, the Student’s T-test was
applied (Omobuwajo, 2003). For all analyses, P ≤ 0.05 was considered to
be the significant preference, statistically using SPSS software, version
22 (IBM).

Results and discussion

Chemical and phytochemical properties of refined wheat flour and DBLP
Considering the results depicted in Table 1, DBLP in crude fiber, protein, ash,
fat, dietary fiber (total, soluble, and insoluble), total phenolic content, and
antioxidant activity were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher than those of refined
wheat flour. Meanwhile, the values of carbohydrate, energy, and moisture in
DBLP were lower than those of refined wheat flour. It can be concluded that
DBLP is a decent source of nutrients, dietary fiber, and phytochemicals like
total phenolic, as well as antioxidant activity. Analogous results were reported
by Fernandez et al. (2017), who demonstrated that beetroot leaves are proper
sources of nutrients as well as polyphenols, namely rutin, quercetin and
 JOURNAL OF CULINARY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 7

kaempferol in which the rutin is the primary polyphenol in high amount

meanwhile, quercetin and kaempferol are in low concentrations.

Functional and color characteristics of refined wheat flour and DBLP

As presented in Table 2, the WAC of DBLP was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05)
than that of refined wheat flour. The considerable amount of WAC in DBLP
could be due to the presence of a large amount of the hydrophilic component
of soluble dietary fiber as compared with refined wheat flour. Apart from the
source of fiber, WAC is also associated with other elements such as tempera­
ture, pH, particle size along with porosity of the components (Agrahar-
Murugkar, Gulati, Kotwaliwale, & Gupta, 2015; Singh, Kaur, & Singh, 2016).
Baljeet et al. (2014) have reported that the high amount of WAC is mainly
attributed to the hydroxyl constituents presented in the fiber structure.
Hemicellulose is a significant part of the fiber component that allows more
water interaction through hydrogen bonding (Uthumporn et al., 2015).
Although there was no significant difference (p > .05) between DBLP and
refined wheat flour in respect to OAC (Table 2), the value of OAC in DBLP

Table 1. Proximate composition of refined wheat flour and DBLP†.

Characteristics* Refined wheat flour DBLP
Moisture (%) 12.16 ± 0.12a** 4.78 ± 0.35b
Crude protein (%) 11.89 ± 0.69b 24.27 ± 0.74a
Crude fiber (%) 0.78 ± 0.33b 12.82 ± 0.32a
Total dietary fiber (%) 2.14 ± 0.20b 35.99 ±.52a
Insoluble dietary fiber (%) 1.82 ± 0.15b 25.20 ± 0.40a
Soluble dietary fiber (%) 0.33 ± 0.05b 10.78 ± 0.33a
Crude fat (%) 1.12 ± 0.06 b 2.23 ± 0.42a
Ash (%) 0.64 ± 0.02 b 22.29 ± 0.37a
Carbohydrate (%) 74.20 ± 0.67a 46.43 ± 1.02b
Energy (K cal/100 g) 354.42 ± 0.79a 302.90 ± 2.78b
Total phenolic content (mg GAE/g) 0.01 ± 0.01b 5.14 ± 0.57a
Total antioxidant activity (%) 0.09 ± 0.07b 43.84 ± 0.38a
†
DBLP: Dried beetroot leaves powder. *All characteristics except moisture content are expressed
on a dry weight basis of a sample. **The values are mean ± standard deviation of three
replicate, which with a different superscript letter in the same row show the significant
difference (p ≤ 0.05).

Table 2. Functional and color properties of refined wheat flour and DBLP†.
Characteristics Refined wheat flour DBLP
Functional properties**
Water absorption capacity (g/g) 1.21 ± 0.041b*** 3.54 ± 0.015a
Oil absorption capacity (g/g) 1.23 ± 0.07a 1.31 ±.28a
Color properties
L* 88.69 ± 0.0 a 38.85 ± 0.25b
a* 0.52 ± 0.01a −0.62 ± 0.02b
b* 10.73 ± 0.04b 18.25 ± 0.13a
†
DBLP: Dried beetroot leaves powder. **The functional properties express on a dry weight
basis of the sample. ***The values are mean ± standard deviation of three replicate, the
values with a different superscript letter in the same row show the significant difference
(p ≤ 0.05).
8 S. Z. ASADI AND M. A. KHAN

was marginally more than that of refined wheat flour. The OAC could be
indicated the existence of hydrophobic groups such as protein molecules
(Baljeet et al., 2014).
The results of the color parameters of refined wheat flour and DBLP were
expressed in terms of L*, a*, and b* values (Table 2). L* value represents
lightness ordered from black (0) to white (100), a* value shows the redness
(+a*) to greenness (-a*), b* value indicates the yellowness (+b*) to blueness (-
b*). There were notable differences between refined wheat flour and DBLP in
all estimated color parameters (Table 2). The lightness and redness in refined
wheat flour were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) more than those of DBLP. Meanwhile,
the greenness of DBLP was evident by a negative value for a* (−0.62). The
value of yellowness in refined wheat flour was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lower as
compared to that of the DBLP.

Chemical and phytochemical properties of cookie samples

The chemical and phytochemical compositions of cookies are illustrated in
Table 3. The addition of DBLP into cookie formulation increased most para­
meters viz, crude protein, moisture content, crude fiber, total dietary fiber,
insoluble and soluble dietary fiber, crude fat, ash, total phenolic content, and
antioxidant activity, while carbohydrate value was decreased (Table 3). This
result was consistent with those findings for cookies prepared with green leafy
vegetables of spinach and Murraya koenigii L. leaves (Drisya, Swetha, Velu,
Indrani, & Singh, 2015; Galla et al., 2017). The moisture content of cookie
samples slightly increased with the addition of DBLP in developed cookies.
The moisture content of all samples varied in a range of 2.10 to 2.57% (Table
3), in which they complied with the moisture content of regular cookies (< 5%)
as declared by Manley (2001). The ranges of moisture content found in the
present study were higher than those of developed cookies with the leafy
vegetable of spinach (0.94–1.26%) recorded by Galla et al. (2017). In the
present study, the crude protein and fat content of developed cookie samples
with the addition of DBLP were increased. This increment may be associated
with the higher values of fat and protein in DBLP as compared to refined
wheat flour. The crude fiber and total dietary fiber, especially insoluble dietary
fiber, were increased markedly with the rise of DBLP in cookie formulation
(Table 1). The increment in ash content of developed cookie samples with the
addition of DBLP may be due to the high mineral content of DBLP as
compared with the refined wheat flour. Phenolic compounds known as phy­
tochemicals are secondary metabolites in plants, which are responsible for
antioxidant activity by a diminution in free radical reactions (Ahmed & Ali,
2013; Zhang, Chen, Wang, Wu, & Xu, 2010). Since the total phenolic content
of DBLP was more than that of the refined wheat flour, the addition of DBLP
had an increasing impact on the values of total phenolic, and thereby on the
 JOURNAL OF CULINARY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 9

Table 3. Proximate composition of cookie samples.

Cookie samples
Characteristics* CC† BLC-4.5%‡ BLC-7%§ BLC-9.5%¶ BLC-12%#
Moisture (%) 2.10 ± 0.13a** 2.34 ± 0.03a 2.37 ± 0.13a 2.52 ± 0.12a 2.57 ± 0.39a
Crude protein (%) 6.05 ± 0.15d 6.56 ± 0.16 c 6.78 ± 0.20 c 7.44 ± 0.17b 8.09 ± 0.19a
Crude fiber (%) 0.89 ± 0.25d 2.01 ± 0.18 c 2.64 ± 0.19b 3.19 ± 0.19a 3.67 ± 0.18a
Total dietary fiber (%) 2.38 ± 0.18d 5.02 ± 0.69 c 5.86 ± 0.34bc 6.95 ±.28ab 7.79 ± 0.46a
Insoluble dietary fiber (%) 1.88 ± 0.23d 4.35 ± 0.71 c 5.15 ± 0.36bc 6.20 ± 0.28ab 7.01 ± 0.52a
Soluble dietary fiber (%) 0.51 ± 0.14b 0.67 ± 0.03ab 0.71 ±.02a 0.76 ± 0.03a 0.78 ± 0.07a
Crude fat (%) 17.10 ± 0.27d 17.56 ± 0.20dc 18.10 ± 0.15 c 18.89 ± 0.16b 19.57 ± 0.30a
Ash (%) 0.48 ± 0.06d 1.26 ± 0.17 c 1.68 ± 0.05b 2.03 ± 0.13b 2.47 ± 0.22a
Carbohydrate (%) 74.27 ± 0.17a 72.28 ± 0.31b 71.07 ± 0.34 c 69.12 ± 0.12d 67.30 ± 0.57e
Energy (K cal/100 g) 475.19 ± 1.27ab 473.40 ± 1.53b 474.31 ± 0.74ab 476.25 ± 1.27ab 477.71 ± 1.58a
Total phenolic content 0.42 ± 0.23 c 0.83 ± 0.17bc 1.13 ± 0.16ab 1.23 ± 0.03ab 1.52 ± 0.21 a
(mg GAE/g)
Antioxidant activity (%) 0.27 ± 0.1 c 7.59 ± 0.39b 8.20 ± 0.41b 9.41 ± 0.37a 10.19 ± 0.34 a
*All characteristics except moisture content are expressed on a dry weight basis of a sample. **The values are mean ±
standard deviation of three replicate, which do not differ significantly with the same superscript letter in the row
(p > 0.05). †CC: Control Cookie without dried beetroot leaves powder (DBLP). ‡BLC-4.5%: Cookie incorporated with
4.5% DBLP. §BLC-7%: Cookie incorporated with 7% DBLP. ¶BLC-9.5%: Cookie incorporated with 9.5% DBLP. #BLC-
12%: Cookie incorporated with12% DBLP.

antioxidant activity of cookie samples. It can be deduced that the nutrients of

developed cookies incorporated with DBLP were superior to control cookies
without DBLP.

Color parameters of the cookie samples

The color characteristics of cookie samples are demonstrated in Table 4. From
this table, it can easily be noted that as the percentage of DBLP substituted in
cookie samples increased, the values of L* (lightness), a* (redness), and b*
(yellowness) gradually decreased. In the present research, the values of L*, a*,
and b* in control cookies were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) the greatest of all other
supplemented cookies with DBLP, thereby the enriched cookie samples with
DBLP were darker than control cookies. Similar findings were recorded for the
cookies prepared with dried Murraya koenigii leaves (Drisya et al., 2015).
Although the value of a* in DBLP was negative (−0.62) indicating the green­
ness, all the cookies containing DBLP could not retain as much as a green tint
of DBLP during baking. Besides, contrary to the noticeable amount of b*
representing yellow tint in DBLP compared to that of the refined wheat
flour, there was a significant reduction in b* value of the cookies enriched
with DBLP. These variances in color parameters might be associated with
some changes in color pigments such as degradation of chlorophyll and
carotenoids present in DBLP or most often the formation of brown pigments
as the result of a non-enzymatic browning reaction in cookie during the
baking process (Badwaik, Gautam, & Deka, 2015; Fernandez et al., 2017;
Purlis & Salvadori, 2007). Therefore, it was evident that the color of food
products can be influenced by the processing conditions as well as the color of
ingredients applied to them. There are several reasons for these color
10 S. Z. ASADI AND M. A. KHAN

Table 4. Color parameters of the cookie samples.

Cookie samples
Characteristics CC† BLC-4.5%‡ BLC-7%§ BLC-9.5%¶ BLC-12%#
L* 71.49 ± 0.40a** 46.52 ± 0.63b 41.32 ± 0.88 c 36.38 ± 0.15d 36.14 ± 0.06d
a* 10.74 ± 0.29a 4.65 ± 0.08b 4.55 ± 0.27bc 3.77 ± 0.40 cd 3.62 ± 0.39d
b* 37.53 ± 0.65a 29.89 ± 0.42b 26.34 ± 0.50 c 23.24 ± 0.05d 21.97 ± 0.14e
**The values are mean ± standard deviation of three replicate in which the values do not differ significantly with the
same superscript letter in the row (p > 0.05). †CC: Control Cookie without dried beetroot leaves powder (DBLP).
‡
BLC-4.5%: Cookie incorporated with 4.5% DBLP. §BLC-7%: Cookie incorporated with 7% DBLP. ¶BLC-9.5%: Cookie
incorporated with 9.5% DBLP. #BLC-12%: Cookie incorporated with12% DBLP.

variances, namely degradation of some pigments during the process and

appearance of some color compounds from chemical browning reactions
such as Caramelization and Maillard that take place during baking. Most
often, the content of carbohydrate, protein, and moisture in the formulation
can affect such chemical reactions as responsible for color changes of samples
(Badwaik et al., 2015; Purlis & Salvadori, 2007; Uthumporn et al., 2015).

Dimensional and textural characteristics of cookie samples

Table 5 revealed that with an increase in the level of DBLP from 0 to 12% in the
cookie formulations, the diameter of cookies reduced, but the reverse result was
found for thickness. Therefore, the cookie spread ratio decreased. The spread
ratio of cookie can be affected by the water-absorbtion level of ingredients (De
Simas et al., 2009; Drisya et al., 2015). As cookie ingredients absorb more water
during dough mixing, due to insufficient amount of water for dissolving sugar,
the spread ratio of cookie will be reduced (De Simas et al., 2009). Baljeet et al.
(2014) suggested that the water absorption of flour in the cookie can be
influenced by the amount of protein and thereby affect the spread ratio of
cookies. Additionally, according to the statement of Choudhury et al. (2015),
these changes in cookies’ dimension could be due to the reduction of the gluten
content of flour that resulted from the increase in replacement of wheat flour by
non-wheat flour. Thus with the help of some variations in processing conditions
such as cutter diameter, a cookie supplemented with fiber can be prepared with
the same dimensions of control cookies.
The data in Table 5 revealed that the increasing substitution of DBLP
significantly increased (p ≤ 0.05) the cookie hardness, being the lowest value
for the control cookie. Hardness is considered as one of the essential texture
quality parameters of cookies that can primarily be affected by the composition
of cookie ingredients. The cookie hardness could be due to the interplay of
starch and proteins via hydrogen bonding throughout the dough making as well
as the baking process (De Simas et al., 2009). Some studies illustrated an increase
in hardness of cookies resulted from the use of Spirulina platensis, sorghum,
eggplant powders, dried Murraya koenigii leaves and spinach powders. It was
noticed that the increase of hardness probably attributed to the rise of fiber and
 JOURNAL OF CULINARY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 11

Table 5. Physical characteristics of cookie samples.

Cookie samples
Characteristics CC† BLC-4.5%‡ BLC-7%§ BLC-9.5%¶ BLC-12%#
Diameter (cm) 5.82 ± 0.05a* 5.34 ± 0.05b 5.23 ± 0.04bc 5.22 ± 0.02 c 5.19 ± 0.01 c
Thickness (cm) 0.82 ± 0.03a 0.83 ± 0.02a 0.84 ± 0.03a 0.85 ± 0.04a 0.86 ± 0.04a
Spread ratio 7.09 ± 0.25a 6.42 ± 0.20ab 6.25 ± 0.27b 6.13 ± 0.30b 6.07 ± 0.30b
Hardness (g) 2266.10 ± 0.90e 2413.40 ± 0.60d 2488.30 ± 0.97 c 2609.40 ± 0.72b 2700.50 ± 0.50a
*The values are mean ± standard deviation of three replicate, which do not differ significantly with the same
superscript letter in the row (p > 0.05). †CC: Control Cookie without dried beetroot leaves powder (DBLP). ‡BLC-
4.5%: Cookie incorporated with 4.5% DBLP. §BLC-7%: Cookie incorporated with 7% DBLP. ¶BLC-9.5%: Cookie
incorporated with 9.5% DBLP. #BLC-12%: Cookie incorporated with12% DBLP.

protein contents in such enriched cookies, and also a positive correlation was
reported between the increase of protein and fiber with the hardness value of
cookies (Drisya et al., 2015; Galla et al., 2017; Singh, Singh, Jha, Rasane, &
Gautam, 2015; Uthumporn et al., 2015). Uthumporn et al. (2015) reported
that the hemicellulose constitutes the main part of fiber components in eggplant
powders, which provides the high water holding capacity and causes the hard
texture of cookies. Also in 2015, Drisya’s report on the use of dried Murraya
koenigii leaves in cookie showed that the high amounts of protein, dietary fiber,
iron and calcium in dried Murraya koenigii leaves diluted the gluten content of
cookie and produced the harder dough with less springiness and cohesiveness
compared to the control one, and thereby led to an increase in the hardness of
cookie incorporated with dried Murraya koenigii leaves. Notably, the texture of
cookie is mostly depended on physical properties of dough that are subsequently
influenced by the applied compounds. There are several modified components
such as sodium metabisulfite and protease to improve the quality of cookie
dough (Pedersen, Kaack, Bergs, & Adler-Nissen, 2005). Thus, the implementa­
tion of some useful modifications as well as the variations in amounts of fat,
sugar, and the quality of wheat flour regarding the quantities of its protein would
be investigated for further study to improve the hardness of enriched cookies
with non-wheat nutritious materials.

Sensory characteristics of cookie samples

The mean sensory scores for the evaluation of prepared cookie samples are
presented in Table 6. The results revealed that there were no significant
variations between the control cookie and cookie containing 4.5% DBLP
concerning texture, taste, aroma as well as overall acceptability. The cookies
supplemented with equal to or more than 7% DBLP did significantly affect the
color, taste, texture, aroma, and overall acceptability (p ≤ 0.05). The color of
cookies varied from cream-color to dark-green with an increased level of
DBLP incorporation. The greenness and darkness in the cookie with added
12% DBLP were more than other cookie samples.
12 S. Z. ASADI AND M. A. KHAN

Table 6. Sensory attributes of cookie samples.

Cookie samples
Characteristics CC† BLC-4.5%‡ BLC-7%§ BLC-9.5%¶ BLC-12%#
Color 8.65 ± 0.49a* 7.85 ± 0.59b 7.45 ± 0.60b 6.65 ± 1.14 c 6.30 ± 1.34 c
Texture 8.00 ± 0.79a 7.95 ± 0.76a 7.65 ± 0.59ab 6.95 ± 0.94bc 6.65 ± 1.18 c
Taste 8.35 ± 0.49a 7.90 ± 0.79ab 7.30 ± 0.57bc 6.95 ± 0.76 c 6.20 ± 1.11d
Aroma 8.20 ± 0.62a 7.85 ± 0.67ab 7.25 ± 0.79bc 6.95 ± 1.23 c 6.40 ± 1.39 c
Overall acceptability 8.10 ± 0.31a 7.91 ± 0.53ab 7.41 ± 0.45bc 6.88 ± 0.81 cd 6.35 ± 0.93d
*All data are the mean ± SD of twenty recorded score by twenty participate according to 9-point-hedonic-scales,
which do not differ significantly with the same superscript letter in the row (p > 0.05). †CC: Control Cookie without
dried beetroot leaves powder (DBLP). ‡BLC-4.5%: Cookie incorporated with 4.5% DBLP. §BLC-7%: Cookie incorpo­
rated with 7% DBLP. ¶BLC-9.5%: Cookie incorporated with 9.5% DBLP. #BLC-12%: Cookie incorporated with12%
DBLP.

With the addition of DBLP into cookie formulation, the hardness of cookies
was increased, and subsequently the average textural score in developed
cookies was reduced (Table 6). With rising of DBLP in the cookie formulations,
there was an increase in after taste and aroma of DBLP in cookie samples. The
taste and aroma of cookies up to 4.5% DBLP incorporation were more pleasant
than other enriched cookies with DBLP according to the sensory evaluation of
panelist members. In addition, Galla et al. (2017) found a decline in taste score
with the rise of spinach powder in cookies made, which was probably due to the
domination of bitterness after tasting this enriched product. In the present study,
the overall score of acceptability in cookie containing 4.5% of DBLP was quite
nearer to that of the control cookie and obtained the highest score when compared
with the rest of enriched cookies with DBLP.

Conclusions
The outcomes obtained in the current study revealed that DBLP could be
employed as an economical and natural source of nutrient and phytonutrients
in cookies that are synchronously challenging in a healthy diet and reducing
the detrimental effects on environmental pollution. The incorporation of
DBLP into cookie formulation enhanced most parameters viz, moisture con­
tent, crude protein, insoluble and soluble dietary fiber, total dietary fiber, crude
fat, crude fiber, ash, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity, while
carbohydrate value was reduced. The cookie incorporated with 4.5% DBLP
received the highest overall acceptability score of sensory evaluation among
other cookies containing DBLP. Further studies are also required to improve
the hardness and darkness of cookies with high levels of DBLP.

Disclosure statement
The authors express no conflict of interest in this work.
 JOURNAL OF CULINARY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 13

Funding
The authors have not received funding for this research.

ORCID
Seyedeh Zeinab Asadi http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5045-7701
Mohammad Ali Khan http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2370-1451

Data accessibility
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding
author.

References
Agrahar-Murugkar, D., Gulati, P., Kotwaliwale, N., & Gupta, C. (2015). Evaluation of nutri­
tional, textural and particle size characteristics of dough and biscuits made from composite
flours containing sprouted and malted ingredients. Journal of Food Science and Technology,
52(8), 5129–5137. doi:10.1007/s13197-014-1597-y
Ahmed, F. A., & Ali, R. F. (2013). Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of resh and
processed white cauliflower. BioMed Research International, 2013, 1–9. doi:10.1155/2013/
367819
Alara, O. R., Abdurahman, N. H., & Olalere, O. A. (2017). Ethanolic extraction of flavonoids,
phenolics and antioxidants from Vernonia amygdalina leaf using two-level factorial design.
Journal of King Saud University-Science. doi:10.1016/j.jksus.2017.08.001
Amnah, M. A. (2013). Nutritional, sensory and biological study of biscuits fortified with red
beet roots. Life Science Journal, 10, 1579–1584. Retrieved from https://www.lifesciencesite.
com/lsj/life1003/237_20331life1003_1579_1584.pdf
Anal, A. K. (2017). Food processing by-products and their utilization: Introduction. In
A. K. Anal (Ed.), Food processing by-products and their utilization (1st ed., pp. 2–4).
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
AOAC. (1999). Official methods of analysis of AOAC international (16th ed.). Gaithersburg,
MD: USA Association of Analytical Communities.
Asadi, S. Z., & Khan, M. A. (2019). Nutritients, phytochemicals and colour parameters of
microwave and steam blanched dried beetroot [Beta vulgaris (L.) var. Conditiva] leaves.
International Journal of Processing & Post Harvest Technology, 10(1), 1–8. doi:10.15740/has/
ijppht/10.1/1-8
Badwaik, L., Gautam, G., & Deka, S. (2015). Influence of blanching on antioxidant, nutritional
and physical properties of bamboo shoot. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 10(3), 140–150.
doi:10.4038/jas.v10i3.8067
Baljeet, S. Y., Ritika, B. Y., & Reena, K. (2014). Effect of incorporation of carrot pomace powder
and germinated chickpea flour on the quality characteristics of biscuits. International Food
Research Journal, 21(1),217–222. Retrieved from http://www.ifrj.upm.edu.my/21%20(01)%
202014/31%20IFRJ%2021%20(01)%202014%20Balijit%20258.pdf
Betoret, E., Betoret, N., Vidal, D., & Fito, P. (2011). Functional foods development: Trends and
technologies. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 22(9),498-508. doi: 10.1016/j.
tifs.2011.05.004
14 S. Z. ASADI AND M. A. KHAN

Biondo, P. B. F., Boeing, J. S., Barizão, É. O., Souza, N. E. D., Matsushita, M.,
Oliveira, C. C. D., . . . Visentainer, J. V. (2014). Evaluation of beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.)
leaves during its developmental stages: A chemical composition study. Food Science and
Technology, 34(1), 94–101. doi:10.1590/S0101-20612014005000007
Choudhury, M., Badwaik, L. S., Borah, P. K., Sit, N., & Deka, S. C. (2015). Influence of bamboo
shoot powder fortification on physico-chemical, textural and organoleptic characteristics of
biscuits. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 52(10), 6742–6748. doi:10.1007/s13197-
015-1709-3
De Simas, K. N., Vieira, L. D. N., Podestá, R., Müller, C. M., Vieira, M. A., Beber, R. C., . . .
Amboni, R. D. (2009). Effect of king palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) flour incorporation
on physicochemical and textural characteristics of gluten-free cookies. International Journal
of Food Science & Technology, 44, 531–538. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.2008.01840.x
Drisya, C. R., Swetha, B. G., Velu, V., Indrani, D., & Singh, R. P. (2015). Effect of dried Murraya
koenigii leaves on nutritional, textural and organoleptic characeteristics of cookies. Journal
of Food Science and Technology, 52, 500–506. doi:10.1007/s13197-013-1002-2
Elaby, S.., & Ali, J.. (2018). The anti-anemic effect of dried beet green in phenylhydrazine
treated rats. Archives of Pharmaceutical Sciences Ain Shams University, 2(2),54-69 doi:
doi:10.21608/aps.2018.18735
Elleuch, M., Bedigian, D., Roiseux, O., Besbes, S., Blecker, C., & Attia, H. (2011). Dietary fibre
and fibre-rich by-products of food processing: Characterisation, technological functionality
and commercial applications: A review. Food Chemistry, 124(2), 411–421. doi:10.1016/j.
foodchem.2010.06.077
Fernandez, M. V., Jagus, R. J., & Agüero, M. V. (2017). Evaluation and characterisation of
nutritional, microbiological and sensory properties of beet greens. Acta Scientific Nutritional
Health, 1, 37–45. Retrieved from https://www.actascientific.com/ASNH/pdf/ASNH-01-
0030.pdf
Foschia, M., Peressini, D., Sensidoni, A., & Brennan, C. S. (2013). The effects of dietary fibre
addition on the quality of common cereal products. Journal of Cereal Science, 58(2),
216–227. doi:10.1016/j.jcs.2013.05.010
Galla, N. R., Pamidighantam, P. R., Karakala, B., Gurusiddaiah, M. R., & Akula, S. (2017).
Nutritional, textural and sensory quality of biscuits supplemented with spinach (Spinacia
oleracea L.). International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 7, 20–26. doi:10.1016/j.
ijgfs.2016.12.003
Ingle, M., Ingle, M. P., Thorat, S. S., Nimbalkar, C. A., & Nawkar, R. R. (2017). Nutritional
evaluation of cookies enriched with beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) powder. International Journal
of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 6, 1888–1896. Retrieved from https://www.
ijcmas.com/6-3-2017/Murlidhar%20Ingle,%20et%20al.pdf
Jahurul, M. H. A., Zaidul, I. S. M., Ghafoor, K., Al-Juhaimi, F. Y., Nyam, K.-L.,
Norulaini, N. A. N., . . . Mohd Omar, A. K. (2015). Mango (Mangifera indica L.)
by-products and their valuable components: A review. Food Chemistry, 183, 173–180.
doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.03.046
Kar, S., Mukherjee, A., Ghosh, M., & Bhattacharyya, D. K. (2013). Utilization of Moringa leaves
as valuable food ingredient in biscuit preparation. International Journal of Applied Science
and Engineering, 1, 29–37. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d489/e5d5be0cd
d7eba9be3c913a6b1f220c04957.pdf
Kaur, M., Sandhu, K. S., Arora, A., & Sharma, A. (2015). Gluten free biscuits prepared from
buckwheat flour by incorporation of various gums: Physicochemical and sensory properties.
LWT-Food Science and Technology, 62(1), 628–632. doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2014.02.039
 JOURNAL OF CULINARY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 15

Kumar, K. A., Sharma, G. K., Khan, M. A., & Semwal, A. D. (2016). A study on functional,
pasting and micro-structural characteristics of multigrain mixes for biscuits. Journal of Food
Measurement and Characterization, 10(2), 274–282. doi:10.1007/s11694-016-9304-5
Lai, W. T., Khong, N. M. H., Lim, S. S., Hee, Y. Y., Sim, B. I., Lau, K. Y., & Lai, O. M. (2017). A review:
Modified agricultural by-products for the development and fortification of food products and
nutraceuticals. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 59, 148–160. doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2016.11.014
Manley, D. (2001). Biscuit, cracker and cookie recipes for the food industry (3rd ed., pp. 4–8, 54,
125, 143). Cambridge, UK: Woodhead Publishing Ltd; Abington Hall.
Omobuwajo, T. O. (2003). Compositional characteristics and sensory quality of biscuits, prawn
crackers and fried chips produced from beadfruit. Innovative Food Science & Emerging
Technologies, 4(2), 219–225. doi:10.1016/S1466-8564(03)00006-7
Oreopoulou, V., & Tzia, C. (2007). Utilization of plant by-products for the recovery of proteins,
dietary fibers, antioxidants, and colorants. In V. Orelpoulou & W. Russ (Eds.), Utilization of
by-products and treatment of waste in the food industry (pp. 212). New York, USA: Springer
Science Business Media Inc.
O'Shea, N., Arendt, E. K., & Gallagher, E. (2012). Dietary fibre and phytochemical character­
istics of fruit and vegetable by-products and their recent applications as novel ingredients in
food products. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, 16, 1-10. doi:/doi.org/
10.1016/j.ifset.2012.06.002
Pedersen, L., Kaack, K., Bergs, M. N., & Adler-Nissen, J. (2005). Effects of chemical and
enzymatic modification on dough rheology and biscuit characteristics. Journal of Food
Science, 70(2), 152–158. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.2005.tb07089.x
Purlis, E., & Salvadori, V. O. (2007). Bread browning kinetics during baking. Journal of Food
Engineering, 80(4), 1107–1115. doi:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2006.09.007
Ranganna, S. (1986). Handbook of analysis and quality control for fruit and vegetable products
(2nd ed., pp. 595–597, 623–629). New Delhi, India: Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
Sahni, P., & Shere, D. M. (2016). Physico-chemical and sensory characteristics of beet root
pomace powder incorporated fibre rich cookies. International Journal of Food and
Fermentation Technology, 6(2), 309–315. doi:10.5958/2277-9396.2016.00055.6
Schakel, S. F., Buzzard, I. M., & Gebhardt, S. E. (1997). Procedures for estimating nutrient
values for food composition databases. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 10(2),
102–114. doi:10.1006/jfca.1997.0527
Singh, J. P., Kaur, A., & Singh, N. (2016). Development of eggless gluten-free rice muffins
utilizing black carrot dietary fibre concentrate and xanthan gum. Journal of Food Science and
Technology, 53(2), 1269–1278. doi:10.1007/s13197-015-2103-x
Singh, P., Singh, R., Jha, A., Rasane, P., & Gautam, A. K. (2015). Optimization of a process for
high fibre and high protein biscuit. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 52(3),
1394–1403. doi:10.1007/s13197-013-1139-z
Uthumporn, U., Woo, W. L., Tajul, A. Y., & Fazilah, A. (2015). Physico-chemical and nutri­
tional evaluation of cookies with different levels of eggplant flour substitution. CyTA-Journal
of Food, 13(2), 220–226. doi:10.1080/19476337.2014.942700
Yangilar, F. (2013). The application of dietary fibre in food industry: structural features, effects
on health and definition, obtaining and analysis of dietary fibre: a review. Journal of Food
and Nutrition Research, 1(3),13-23. doi:10.12691/jfnr-1-3-1
Zhang, L., Chen, J., Wang, Y., Wu, D., & Xu, M. (2010). Phenolic extracts from Acacia
mangium bark and their antioxidant activities. Molecules, 15(5), 3567–3577. doi:10.3390/
molecules15053567