Anti-diabetic Potentials of Cookies from Wheat, Sweet Potato and African Yam Beans (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) Composite Flour Blends

Abstract

The consumption of cookies offered reliable advantages to the consumers, which included but not limited to perfect eating ability, prolong shelf live and acceptability among all nations. This study thus, investigated the antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties of cookies obtained from wheat-African yam bean-sweet potato composite flour blends at different ratios. The African yam bean and sweet potato were thoroughly processed, milled, sieved thereafter mixed with the commercial wheat flour. Four blends were prepared by using the trial mixing ratio and 100% wheat flour and later used to bake cookies. The proximate, amino acid compositions, antioxidant, amylase and glucosidase inhibitory activities as well as physical properties of the composite cookies were examined while panelists were assigned to assess the cookie samples. The results of the proximate composition showed that the composite flour technology had significant (p<0.05) positive effects on the cookies. Meanwhile, the amino acid compositions of the cookies revealed that the cookie samples were of high aromatic and hydrophobic amino acids, respectively with optimum physical properties. No panelist showed a total dislike for the taste of any of the samples. The added soybean seeds flours showed no significant (p<0.05) effect on the acceptability and preference of the samples. Hence, it is possible to produce better protein and high nutritional cookies from these flour blends. We therefore concluded that the cookies rich in antioxidants and anti-diabetic potentials could be produced from wheat-African yam bean-sweet potato composite flour.