Abstract:
"Miracle tree" palm tree (Borassus flabellifer) is a traditional plant known for its
numerous health benefits. Its tubers are rich in dietary fiber, which supports digestive
health, and contain a significant amount of enzymes that are typically not obtained from
regular food. A study was conducted to develop gluten-free cookies using locally
available raw materials, specifically by incorporating tapioca flour with palmyra tuber
flour. The production of gluten-free cookies involved mixing tapioca flour and palmyra
tuber flour at aratio of 95:05 (Tz),90:10 (T:), 85:15 (T+), 80:20 (Ts) and control (Tr)
with 100% wheat flour. The other ingredients, such as margarine (50g), sugar (45g), eggs
(50g), baking powder (2.5g), milk powder (10g), and vanilla (2.59), were kept constant
for all five-treatment combinations. Cookie dough relevant to the five treatment
combinations was prepared and baked using a hot air oven at 1800C for 20 minutes. The
gluten-free cookie containing 90o/o tapioca flour and l0o/o palmyra tuber flour (T:)
received the highest acceptability in sensory evaluation (7-point hedonic scale), as
assessed by 10 untrained panelists. T3 was selected for fui1her analysis with the control
sample. The proximate composition of the selected gluten-free cookie (T:) was
determined as follows: moisture content (9.36 + 0.I3o ), ash content (1.43 + 0.45o/o),
crude fiber (3.56 + 0.62yo), crude protein (4.4 + 0.03o/o), crude fat (3.19 + 0.06%), and
carbohydrate (78.05 + 0.32%). Shelf-life evaluation revealed that fPC and YMC were
remained within safety limits, suggesting that the selected cookies can be stored in an
aitight container for approximately two weeks.
