Development of gluten free biscuits utilizing fruits and starchy vegetable powders

Gluten free biscuits, also suitable during fasting were developed utilizing different levels of fruits (water chestnut and makhana) and starchy vegetable (potato) powders. Biscuits were developed using creamery method and evaluated for physical properties, proximate composition, sensory characteristics and storability for 90 days at room temperature. Expansion in diameter of biscuits with different level of potato and makhana powder varied between 1.026 to 1.059 and 1.046 to 1.059, respectively as compared to 1.075 for biscuits prepared using water chestnut only. Breaking hardness and toughness of different biscuit was increased with increasing level of potato or makhana powder in flour blends and higher in potato powder incorporated biscuits. Whiteness (L values) of biscuits was decreased with increasing level of potato powder while a reverse trend was observed in case of makhana powder incorporated biscuits. Protein content in biscuits with makhana powder was higher than the biscuits prepared using potato powder in flour blends. Biscuits prepared using hundred percent water chestnut showed the maximum crude fibre content in them. Results indicated that gluten free biscuits for fasting people can be prepared using potato powder or makhana powder up to 50 % with water chestnut powder. The overall sensory acceptability of biscuits with makhana powder was better than for biscuits with potato powder with maximum overall acceptability scores for biscuits developed using 70:30 parts of water chestnut and makhana powders in flour blend, which were storable for 90 days period at room temperature.