Physical Properties and Mineral Content of Bread Produced from Wheat, Malted Mung Bean, and Watermelon Rind Flour Composites

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the physical properties and mineral content of breads produced from of wheat, malted mung bean and watermelon rind composite flours. Mung bean seeds were soaked for 24 h, washed, drained, germinated for 72 h, oven-dried in a tray dryer (Model EU850D, UK) at 60oC for 18 h occasionally stirring grains at intervals of 30 min and then milled into flour. The watermelon rind was sliced, washed, oven-dried and milled into flour and then sieved. Both flours were blended with wheat flour in varying proportions (100:0; 90:5: 5; 80:10:10; 70:15:15; 60:20:20 and 50:25:25) to produce bread. The physical properties and mineral content and of the bread samples were determined using standard methods. The physical properties of the bread samples showed that the loaf volume, specific volume, height, and oven spring decreased, while the weight increased significantly (p<0.05) with increased substitution of mung bean and watermelon rind flours. The study, therefore, showed that the mineral contents and the weight of the bread samples could be enhanced by the addition of mung bean and watermelon rind flours to wheat flour at different substitution levels in the production of bread samples. The mineral composition of the bread loaves were calcium (77.01-97.77), magnesium (48.89-114.74), phosphorous (41.11-97.76), potassium (62.67-94.21), iron (2.18-2.78), while sodium content ranged from 1.62 to 2.25mg/100g. The result showed that the bread loaves produced from the composite flours increased in weight and all the minerals evaluated with an increase in the substitution of malted mung bean and watermelon rind flours.