Impact of mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii) flour upon quality attributes of wheat dough and functional cookies-baked products

The objective of this study was to create a healthier version of a commonly consumed baked food (cookies) by replacing some of the wheat flour with a nutraceutical-rich mushroom flour. The impact of incorporating different levels of powdered mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii) flour on the rheological properties of the cookie dough and the final cookies was therefore determined. The rheological properties of wheat dough supplemented with 0%-25% (w/w) of mushroom flour were analyzed using a Mixolab instrument and a shear rheometer. Increasing the ratio of mushroom-to-wheat flour in the doughs increased the peak and final viscosities, but decreased dough stability and elastic modulus. Sensory evaluation using an orthogonal test showed that 15% mushroom flour, 10% maltodextrin, and 1.5% sodium bicarbonate were the optimal composition for producing cookies with the best sensory score. In conclusion, our results showed that cookies with acceptable textures and appearances could be produced by replacing up to 15% of wheat flour with mushroom flour.