Introduction
Mathri is a delicious and versatile snack that can be enjoyed with tea or as a travel snack. Its combination of wheat flour, ajwain, salt, and water creates a savoury and flavourful cracker. The fact that it can last for a couple of weeks at room temperature makes it convenient for storage and consumption.
Buckwheat (BW) is an annual crop belonging to the family Polygonaceae. Although it is categorized as a cereal, it is actually a pseudo-cereal.1 In English, it is known as silver hull buckwheat, while it is called "askottu" in Hindi and "kaadugodhi" in Kannada. BW is extensively grown in hilly regions of India due to its high nutritional value and adaptability to high temperatures.2 Buckwheat is highly nutritious, providing a rich source of energy, protein, fiber, and fat. It contains essential amino acids like lysine, threonine, and tryptophan in significant quantities.3 This crop was initially cultivated in China and, despite its name, does not contain any wheat or gluten. It consists of 67-75% starch, 7-21% protein, 1.2-4.3% lipids, and a significant amount of dietary fiber and minerals.4 The consumption of dietary fiber has been associated with various health benefits, including improved bowel movement and the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Therefore, it can be effective in managing Type-2 Diabetes. Furthermore, buckwheat is a valuable source of micronutrients such as iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and B-complex vitamins. It serves as an excellent plant-based, gluten-free alternative for individuals with celiac disease.1 Hence, buckwheat was used as replacement for wheat which had considerably less similarity in its functional properties on par with wheat.
Materials and Methods
Raw materials: The present study was carried out in the department of Food Science and Nutrition, Yuvaraja’s College, (Autonomous) University of Mysore, Mysuru, Karnataka, India. The raw materials viz., Wheat flour, Buckwheat flour, ajwain, oil and salt were procured from local grocery shop of Mysuru, Karnataka, India.
Methods: Mathri which was kept as standard (SBM) was entirely prepared from wheat flour and other ingredients. Wheat flour, Buckwheat flour, ajwain and salt were mixed in appropriate proportions. Hot oil was poured into the mixture; known quantity of water was Added to make semi-hard dough. The dough was divided into equal sized balls and flattened into round shape which was 5cm diameter and 0.5 cm in thickness. Mathri was deep-fried on medium flame till it turns golden brown and crisp. All the factors except flours ratio were kept constant.5
Sensory evaluation: Mathri was developed and evaluated for its organoleptic properties keeping standard Mathri as reference. It was carried out by 30 semi-trained panellists. Hedonic scale (1- 9 Ratings) was used for rating the sensory quality of the Buckwheat flour Mathri. The mean value of 30 score cards were considered for evaluating the sensory attributes.5
Proximate analysis: Sample of Mathri was analysed in triplicates. Mathri prepared from BW3 (40%) were used for proximate analysis to determine its nutritional composition using standard AOAC (1990) methods for individual nutrients.6 The moisture content was estimated by subjecting the samples to a hot air oven at 98-100°C.7 The protein content was determined using the standard Micro-Kjeldhal method.8 The fat content was estimated using the Soxhlet extraction method. The ash content was determined through high-temperature incineration using a muffle furnace. The crude fibre content was estimated using a crude fibre analyser.9 To obtain the carbohydrate value of Mathri, the sum of the moisture, protein, fat, and ash content per 100 g of the sample was subtracted from 100.10 Furthermore, the mineral content, including calcium, iron, and phosphorus, were analysed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS).11, 12, 13 The results obtained from the standard AOAC methods for nutrient analysis were accurate and precise.
Statistical analysis: The statistical analysis was done using Snedecor and Cochran14 and by Duncan’s multiple range test with the *p < (0.05) considered to be significant.15
Formulation of buckwheat flour mathri
Table 1
Formulation of the product (g/100gm) for preparation of mathri from BW flour.
Figure 2
Different variations of mathri developed from Buckwheat flour in comparison of wheat flour Mathri.
Table 2
Sensory evaluation of Mathri of different variations compared with standard as control.
Table 3
Nutritional composition of Mathri from buckwheat flour SB3 (40%) compared with standard.
Results and Discussion
The formulation of mathri involved partially replacing wheat flour with buckwheat flour at different concentrations. The replacement of buckwheat flour was set as 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% respectively. Buckwheat flour has a lower gluten level compared to wheat flour. As the percentage of buckwheat flour increased in the dough preparation, the dough consistency of mathri resulted in variable textural property. The unique flavor profile, mild bitter taste and a dark colour with volatile compounds dominated the rest of ingredients. Consequently, as the percentage of buckwheat increased the flavor, taste and colour of mathri also varied significantly. According to sensory evaluation, 40 % buckwheat mathri was most acceptable in terms of texture, colour, flavor and taste. While, 80% and 100% were slightly disliked with the lowest scores and not well-received by sensory panellists.
The proximate estimation of nutrients present in selected variation (40%) was resulted in significantly increased levels of Crude fiber, Iron, calcium content and low carbohydrate level than standard Mathri. Thus, the developed mathri was found to be superior in terms of nutritional value with low gluten and low glycemic content.
Conclusion
In this study, Mathri prepared from 40% replacement with Buckwheat flour was the most acceptable variation and is healthy as it had increased levels of protein, crude fiber and calcium. Low carbohydrate with high fiber makes this product low-glycemic as well as low- gluten. As buckwheat is the abundant source of macro, micronutrients as well as phytonutrients, this attempt made an ordinary snack into a nutritionally superior food product which would be a better option to in corporate this in daily healthy diet.