Abstract:
Rusks are widely consumed baby snacks that are commonly produced using wheat
flour. Wheat flour was reported to cause health issues due to gluten. This study aimed
to produce a nutritious, gluten-free baby rusk using a local grain flour composite made
out of a traditional rice variety (Madathawalu rice) and mung bean to eliminate the
health hazards. The sensory attributes, physical properties, and proximate
compositions of the novel composite rusks were evaluated and compared with baby
rusks made with wheat flour as the control. The combination of 70% Madathawalu
rice and 30% Mung bean (T2) resulted in the highest sensory attributes and was
selected as the accepted formulation. The best sample was further analyzed for
physical properties, proximate analysis, and shelf-life evaluation. The new formulation
reported a relatively lower diameter (52.41 mm) and spread ratio (9.26 mm) while it
had a higher weight (12.22 g) and thickness (5.67 mm) compared to the control (55.37
mm, 11.44 mm, 10.22 g, and 4.85 mm correspondingly). The traditional rice and mung
bean-based new formulation (T2) demonstrated a darker color due to the nature of
its main ingredients. Rusks from T2 had higher protein (17.03%), crude fiber (2.50%),
and ash (2.23%) contents compared to the corresponding levels of 11.68%, 1.65%, and
1.44%, in the control sample. The new rusk formulation demonstrated significantly
lower crude fat (15.10%) content than the control (19.57%). Moisture levels have
increased to 4.12% in new flour composite rusk and to 5.89% in the control after 21
days of storage. Based on the moisture content, the new rusk has indicated a
comparatively longer shelf life. The new rusk could be commercialized as a nutritious
and gluten-free product and it may create a competitive opportunity in the baby food
market.
