43 Evaluaton of Staple Foods Supplemented with Defated Coconut Testa Flour S. A. F. Rushdha 1 , B. S. K. Ulpathakumbura 1 , C. Yalegama 2 , D. T. Hewapathirana 2 , J. M. N. Marikkar 1* 1 National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hanthana Road, Kandy, Sri Lanka 2 Coconut Research Institute, Lunuwila, Sri Lanka * Corresponding Author, email: nazrim.ma@nifs.ac.lk Abstract Coconut testa is an important byproduct of coconut processing. This study investigated the acceptability of staple foods incorporated with defatted coconut testa four (CTF). Food supplemented with CTF will be ideal as a functional food for diabetes. Formulations of string hoppers incorporated with CTF were done by mixing white rice four (WRF) with CTF in four diferent ratios; F 1 (WRF:CTF=70:30), F 2 (WRF:CTF=75:25), F 3 (WRF:CTF=80:20) and F 4 (WRF:CTF=85:15). Likewise, formulation of fat-bread rotti were prepared by mixing wheat four (WF) with CTF in four diferent ratios; P 1 (WF:CTF=60:40), P 2 (WF:CTF=70:30), P 3 (WF:CTF=80:20) and P 4 (WF:CTF=90:10). Acceptability of the formulations was determined by preference ranking test and the data were analyzed using Friedman test and Mann-Whitney test. According to sensory evaluation, the highest score of overall acceptability and other sensory attributes were observed for composite four mixtures incorporated with 25% of CTF in rice four for string hoppers (idiyappa) and 20% of CTF in wheat four for fat-bread (rotti). The proximate analysis of the fnished products namely, string hopper (idiyappa) and fat-bread (rotti) showed better nutritional properties with regard to protein, dietary fber, fat and mineral content than the respective composite four mixtures used in their preparation. Furthermore, string hopper (idiyappa) four mixture [IF, (WRF:CTF=75:25)] and string hopper (idiyappa) samples showed increased nutritional compositions in terms of dietary fber, mineral content when compared to RF [RF, (WF:CTF=80:20)] and fat-bread rotti samples. In conclusion, the two-formulated products’ quality attributes and dietary fber content indicated their potential use as anti-diabetic foods. Keywords: Coconut testa four, coconut dietary fber, sensory analysis, anti-diabetic foods Introducton Coconut plays an important role in the plantation sector of Sri Lanka. It accounts for 12% of Sri Lanka’s total agricultural production. Coconut fruit is considered a valuable part of the coconut tree due to its food and nutritional values and a host of medicinal properties (Deen et al., 2021). The most economically valuable part of the coconut fruit is its kernel, which is covered by a brown layer known as coconut testa (CT) (Ojha et al., 2019). Production of desiccated coconut, coconut milk powder and virgin coconut oil usually require removal of CT from the fresh kernel as a byproduct since it imparts undesirable color to oil and dull appearance to other products (Appaiah et al., 2014). According to some previous estimates, approximately 18 % of the total kernel (w/w, wet basis) is said to be lost during the removal of testa (Gunarathna et al., 2022). Based on the fruit component study by Perera et al (2014), about 6,500 kg of wet CT is generated out of 100,000 nuts of Sri Lankan tall variety. Although CT is an edible bio-waste, it is not yet fully exploited in Sri Lanka as an ingredient for staple food production. At present, it is only used for low-grade oil extraction and the residues are being used for animal feed (Marasinghe et al., 2019). The transformation of agro-byproducts into value-added products has become a global trend these days, which has paved the way for sustainable agriculture (Lucarini et al., 2021). Converting any bio-waste into productive uses is generally in alignment with the United Nations’ goals of sustainable development. It exerts a direct and implicit impact on the environment and the economic spheres by minimizing the disposal cost and controlling the escalating value of the finished products (Marikkar et al., 2020). Hence, it is timely to undertake a study on the utilization of CT as a source of food ingredient. The rising trend in diabetes worldwide has created a new demand for functional foods that would help maintain uncontrolled blood glucose among those with chronic doi: https://doi.org/10.37833/cord.v38i.443 Coconut Research & Development, 2022, 38: 43-50