Nutritional Value Addition of Bread, Pasta, and Noodles by Incorporating Leaves of Moringa oleifera.

BACKGROUND

The growing demand for natural, health-promoting food products has led to increased interest in integrating nutrient-rich ingredients into everyday foods. The addition of Moringa oleifera leaves may increase nutrient profile, including essential amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in edible products.

AIM: The study aimed to optimize the addition of M. oleifera leaves in bread, noodles, and pasta and evaluate sensory attributes using a nine-point hedonic scale and nutritional analysis.

RESULTS

The incorporation of M. oleifera leaves imparted a distinctive green coloration and speckling to the products. Sensory evaluations indicated that moderate enrichment (5.0% in bread, 7.5% in noodles, and 7.0% in pasta) generally enhanced sensory attributes. Nutritional analysis revealed significant improvement in the nutritional profiles of all the three products having M. oleifera leaves. The addition of 5.0% M. oleifera leaves in bread increased % levels of energy (carbohydrates, protein, fat, ash, iron, calcium, and vitamin C). Noodles with 7.5% Moringa exhibited higher carbohydrates, protein, crude fiber, iron, and calcium, whereas pasta with 7.0% Moringa showed increased carbohydrates, protein, and crude fiber but decreased energy and ash content.

CONCLUSION

Moderate addition of Moringa leaves is optimal for maintaining sensory quality and overall acceptability, while excessive concentrations may negatively impact sensory attributes.