FULL-LENGTH RESEARCH ARTICLE Physico-Mechanical and Nutritional Evaluation of Taro (Colocasia esculenta) Flour-based Gluten-free Cookies Namrata Ankush Giri 1 • M. S. Sajeev 1 Received: 20 August 2018 / Accepted: 27 April 2019 Ó NAAS (National Academy of Agricultural Sciences) 2019 Abstract Taro (Colocasia esculenta L.) flour-based gluten-free cookies suitable for coeliac patient were developed using taro flour (40–60%), rice flour (20–25%), sorghum flour (15–20%) and cassava flour (5–15%). Cookies were developed using creamery method and evaluated for physical properties, textural analysis, proximate composition and sensory characteristics. Spread ratio of taro flour-based gluten-free cookies varied between 3.95 and 5.49, and it was decreased with increasing level of taro flour. Breaking hardness and toughness of different cookies was decreased with increasing level of taro flour in flour blends. Minerals content in taro flour-based gluten-free cookies was higher than maida-based cookie. Gluten-free cookies prepared with taro flour showed the maximum crude fiber content as compared to maida-based cookie. Results indicated that taro flour-based gluten-free cookies for coeliac patient with overall sensory acceptable can be prepared using taro flour 50% with rice flour 25%, sorghum flour 15% and cassava flour 10%. Keywords Cookies Á Gluten free Á Nutrition Á Sensory evaluation Á Taro flour Introduction Coeliac disease (CD) is a chronic autoimmune disorder, estimated to affect approximately 1–2% of the world population, and results from the dietary intolerance to gluten [13, 38]. Ingestion of gluten by celiac patients causes villous atrophy of the small intestine and leads to cramping, bloating, diarrhea, weight loss, vitamin and mineral deficiencies etc. [14]. The disease has reached alarming proportions in Europe and the USA and in India; it has been diagnosed in 26–49% of children, presenting with diarrhea in tertiary care hospitals [5, 46]. Consump- tion of gluten-free diet as a strict life-long strategy is the only known treatment for celiac disease, as even trace amounts of gluten could trigger immune response in the patients [12, 39, 42]. Gluten-forming proteins are necessary for proper dough development and texture of most of the baked food products [11]. Gluten present in the proteins of wheat, rye and barley comprises two functions such as glutenins and gliadins [16]. Glutenin has a rough rubbery texture on hydration while gliadin on hydration yields a fluid mass [12]. These researchers found that during dough development, glutenin crosslinks with itself and then associates with gliadins to form gluten strands. Imparting the necessary dough consistency is a major challenge in the development of gluten-free foods. Cookie-type biscuits are widely consumed due to their long shelf life and crisp texture [10, 27]. Cookies are made traditionally from wheat flour using a number of ingredi- ents such as sugar, chocolate chips, peanut butter. Func- tional cookies have been attempted by various researchers using several types of alternative non-wheat flours such as flour, buckwheat flour, cassava flour, quinoa flour. [19, 20, 29]. Gluten-free cookies have been developed from rice, corn, buckwheat and potato flours [4, 29, 40]. India is & Namrata Ankush Giri namrata_cft@yahoo.in M. S. Sajeev ms_sajeev@rediffmail.com 1 Division of Crop Utilization, ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Sreekariyam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695017, India 123 Agric Res https://doi.org/10.1007/s40003-019-00411-z