Evaluation of rheological properties of millet flour and standardization of Muffin: A bakery product

The investigation on the rheological properties of muffin flour, development of muffin, physico-chemical composition and sensory evaluation was carried out in Community Science College and Research Institute, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. The different treatment combinations and proportions involving flour from refined wheat (RW), finger millet, kodo millet and cowpea flour were evaluated for the rheological properties such as water absorption, viscosity and gelatinization temperature. Muffin were developed and assessed for loaf volume, loaf weight, moisture, pH, TSS, total sugar, reducing sugar, protein, calcium, phosphorus and vitamins. Sensory evaluation was done using 9 point hedonic scale method. The water absorption rate of the muffin was high in cowpea + RW flour (1.538 g) followed by kodo millet + cowpea +RW flour (1.435g) when compared to that of RW flour alone (1.014g). The finger millet + RW flour combination had a lower viscosity of 61.75 ml/sec and gelatinization temperature of 85 °C and highest score for cowpea+ RW flour of 228.42 ml/sec. The overall acceptability scores were higher of 87.5% for finger millet + RW flour combination. Nutrient parameters were statistically significant for finger millet +cow pea+ RW flour with protein content of 11.80 g, calcium116.25 mg, 326.20 mg phosphorus and 2.56 mg of iron/100gm. Hence, both the rheological and physico-chemical properties were highly suitable for 25:25:50 treatment combination of finger millet + cowpea + RW flour and offers a convenient mixing proportion for development of muffin, both in terms of rheology and sensory characteristics.