Nutritional and Rheological Characteristics of Composite Flour Substituted with Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) Pulp Flour for Cake Manufacturing and Organoleptic Properties of Their Prepared Cakes

Revalorization of Adansonia digitata L. “Baobab” pulp flour (BPF) to produce a notorious and functional cake in the current study was assessed. Wheat flour (WF 72%) was partially substituted by BPF at 5, 10, and 15% to prepare composite flour (WF + BPF) for potential cake manufacturing. Approximate chemical composition, macro- and microelements content, amino acids (AAs), total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity (AOA) of partially substituted composite flour (WF + BPF) were determined. The rheological properties of the composite flours were assessed using MIXOLAB. Moreover, an organoleptic evaluation of the baked cakes was performed with 20 trained panelists. The substitution with BPF significantly increased the total ash and crude fiber content in composite flour in a level-dependent manner, while moisture, crude fat, crude protein, available carbohydrates contents, and energy values were not significantly changed. Interestingly, macroelements such as Ca, K, and P were significantly increased, while Na was significantly decreased, whereas Mg content was not significantly changed. Similarly, microelements such as Zn, Fe, and Cu increased with the increase of BPF substitution. Significant increases in TPC and AOA were found by increasing the substitution with BPF. The biological value (BV), essential amino acid index (EAAI), protein efficiency ratio (PER), as well as essential amino acids (EAAs) requirement index (RI) were positively improved in WF + BPF. Adding BPF up to 10% not only improved the water absorption, α-amylase activity, and viscosity, but also caused a slight weakness in the gluten network, to produce a composite flour suitable for cake making. Conclusively, this study revealed that fortification with BPF up to 5–10% improved the nutritional quality without adverse effects on technological, and organoleptic characteristics and providing economic, commercial, and health benefits.