Open Access
*Corresponding author: Hanan E Mohamed
Email: Hanankhalefa525@gmail.com; +201023880877
Received: 15 March 2025
Accepted: 29 April 2025
Published online: 8 May 2025
Citation
Mohamed HE (2025): Rheological, Nutritional, and Sensory Properties of Corn Crackers Enriched with Buckwheat Flour. BNNI (65) 22-45, doi:10.21608/bnni.2025.426762
Corn crackers are primarily made from corn flour, often supplemented with wheat flour to enhance processing and functional properties. This study investigated the use of whole grain buckwheat flour (WBF) as a substitute for wheat flour in corn cracker formulations at three different levels: 10%, 20%, and 30%. The objective was to evaluate the chemical composition, rheological properties, physical characteristics (color and texture), and sensory attributes of the resulting crackers. The moisture, protein, fat, ash, fiber, and carbohydrate contents of the whole grain buckwheat flour were 9.72%, 13.53%, 2.97%, 1.91%, 11.37%, and 70.60%, respectively. Crackers fortified with buckwheat flour showed higher levels of protein, fat, fiber, and ash compared to the control sample. Regarding rheological properties, the incorporation of WBF into the dough increased the Mixolab parameters, including water absorption (from 0.36% to 5.05%), dough development time (from 6.06% to 36.36%), and dough stability (from 10.81% to 48.64%). As the proportion of buckwheat flour increased, there was a notable reduction (p ≤ 0.05) in both the lightness (L*) and redness (a*) values. Conversely, a significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) in yellowness (b*) values was recorded, ranging from 24.86 to 27.32 in the crackers. According to the study findings, substituting 20% of wheat flour with whole-grain buckwheat flour produced nutritionally enriched crackers with desirable physical and sensory qualities.