LAUSR

Wheat flour cookies are commonly made products identified for their high carbohydrate content; however, they contain a few functional ingredients and provide limited health benefits. In this study, spinach leaves (Spinacia oleracea L.) were utilized as a functional ingredient in cookie formulation due to their high macro and micronutrients. The spinach leaves were blanched, dried in a tray dryer at 65oC for 5 hours, and then ground to obtain spinach powder (SP). The effect of replacement of wheat flour with 0% (control), 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% of SP on physicochemical, nutritional, and sensory qualities of cookies was subsequently investigated. The result revealed that the SP consisted of 32.13% protein, 27.84% carbohydrate, 17.60% ash, 6.92% fat, 9.54% fiber, and 5.97% moisture. The replacement of wheat flour with increased level of SP in cookies resulted in a decrease of spread ratio of cookies. On the other hand, the hardness of cookies was increased with 43.27 N of the maximum hardness of cookies containing 20% SP. In addition, the substitution of wheat flour with SP at levels ranging from 5% to 20% has demonstrated a significant improvement in the proximate composition of cookies, including protein, fat, ash and fiber in comparison to the control (p0.05). The incorporation of SP at various levels in the cookies led to a significant improvement (p0.05) in total phenolic, acrylamide, melanoidins, and antioxidant activity. The sensory evaluations indicated that cookies containing 15% SP were highly accepted; however, it is a crucial to consider the limitations associated with acrylamide content (carcinogenic compound). The cookie formulation containing 10% SP has been identified as optimal, as it results in acrylamide levels below the limits set by Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158. The cookies substituted with 10% SP exhibited 2.72 mg GAE/g of total phenolic content, 5.32 mg/mL of IC50 DPPH radical scavenging activity, 3.58 g/100 g of melanoidins, and 328.12 µg/kg of acrylamide. Furthermore, the partial replacement of wheat flour with 10% SP in the cookies, when stored for at least 2 months, ensures that the levels of microorganisms are still within the standards of Thai Community Product for cookies. This study emphasizes the potential of utilizing SP to enhance the nutritional value of the cookies. Key words: Acrylamide, Antioxidant, Cookie, DPPH, Melanoidins, Nutrient, Proximate, Phenolic, Spinach