Effect of Plant Extracts Addition on the Physico-Chemical and Sensory Properties of Biscuits

Biscuits are one of the most consumed bakery products that contain a high content of fat, sugar, and different additives that may cause various health problems. This has led to an increased focus on enriching bakery products with plant extracts to improve their nutritional and sensory properties. The objective of the current work was to investigate the effect of replacing wheat flour with plant extracts such as blueberry and cranberry (at concentrations of 3%, 6%, and 9%) and compare with control biscuits regarding the physico-chemical and color parameters. In addition, sensory analysis was conducted to determine the consumer acceptability of the enriched biscuits. The enrichment of biscuits with blueberry powder significantly increased the moisture content and decreased pH values (p < 0.05). Similarly, cranberry-enriched biscuits had a significantly higher moisture content, water activity, and decreased pH values compared to control samples (p < 0.05). On the other hand, enrichment of biscuits with either blueberry or cranberry powder significantly decreased lightness (L*), yellowness (b*), chroma value (C*), and h-value (h) but increased the redness values (a* value) of samples (p < 0.05). Our results showed that with increasing concentrations of plant extract addition in biscuits, the sensory attributes such as odor and taste were significantly improved. The results of the study suggest that the addition of plant extracts to biscuits improved their physico-chemical and sensory properties.