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 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 leaves in bread, noodles, and pasta and evaluate sensory attributes using a nine-point hedonic scale and nutritional analysis.

Results: The incorporation of 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 leaves. The addition of 5.0% leaves in bread increased % levels of energy (carbohydrates, protein, fat, ash, iron, calcium, and vitamin C). Noodles with 7.5% exhibited higher carbohydrates, protein, crude fiber, iron, and calcium, whereas pasta with 7.0% showed increased carbohydrates, protein, and crude fiber but decreased energy and ash content.

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