Effect of Spirulina platensis on Textural, Sensory and Some Physicochemical Characteristics in Gluten-free Functional Biscuit Production

This study aims to investigate the impact of Spiriluna platensis powder (SPL), from microalgaes, on the technological, nutritional, and sensory properties of gluten-free functional biscuits. Biscuits were formulated with different rates of SPL powder (0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 5%) and evaluated for their physical, chemical, and sensory attributes. The inclusion of SPL significantly increased the protein, dietary fibre, phenolic, and antioxidant content of the biscuits. Biscuits with 5% SPL showed the highest levels of protein (8.01%), phenolics (27.8%), antioxidants (64.18%), and dietary fibre (2.1%). The addition of SPL also affected the hardness, brittleness and colour of the biscuits, resulting in darker and harder biscuits at higher SPL ratios. Sensory analysis revealed that biscuits with 0.5% SPL were most preferred, with higher SPL rates leading to a decrease in sensory scores.