Investigation of the effect of buckwheat substitute on the quality of nutritious and healthy biscuit production

Buckwheat, a nutritious pseudocereal, offers numerous health benefits including reducing celiac disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar regulation, and cancer risk reduction. Hence, the objective of this research was to create biscuits with enhanced proximate composition, physicochemical, nutritional, and sensory characteristics of biscuits using composite flours prepared with refined soft wheat flour (RWF) -based 0% (A), 30% (B), 50% (C), 70% (D) and 100% (E) buckwheat flour (BWF). Increase in BWF substitute resulted a significant (P ≤ 0.05) increase in moisture, ash, fat, and protein content, and a decrease in carbohydrate contents of both flours and biscuits. Increasing levels of BWF led to a decrease in L* and b* color values, and an increase in a* color value and pH of both flours and biscuits. Addition of BWF to RWF decreased the thickness, diameter and hardness values of the biscuits, while increased bulk density, weight, spread ratio and textural fracturability. All biscuits with different substitution levels of BWF had resulted with acceptable sensory characteristics. All sensory evaluations were found to be high scores for control sample and decreased with BWF supplementation. The use of BWF in biscuits not only enhances their nutritional, physicochemical, and functional properties but also promotes the production of healthier biscuits.