Investigating the Effect of Adding Melon Seed Flour on Quantitative and Qualitative Properties of Toast Bread

Melon seeds are nutritious grains that can prevent cardiovascular diseases and cancer due to its high levels of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, minerals, and dietary fiber. In this study, melon seed flour was added to the bread formulation at six levels of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%. The results of physicochemical evaluation showed that the amount of protein, ash, bread fats, bread fibers and b* component significantly increased with increasing the amount of melon seed flour, while the moisture content of bread and color component L* decreased significantly compared to the control. From the point of specific volume and porosity of breads containing melon seed flour, the results showed no difference between control and the sample containing 10% of melon flour, but a significant decrease in those properties was noticed in samples containing 15, 20 and 25% melon seed flour, compared to the control sample. In texture evaluation of the samples, the results showed similarity between breads containing 10% and 15% of melon seed flour with control sample; the samples containing 5% of melon seed flour had harder texture than that of control sample and the samples containing 20% and 25% of melon seed flour possessed softer texture than that of control sample. In terms of general acceptance, breads containing 10 and 15 percent of melon seed flour were similar to the control sample. Therefore, adding 10% of the melon seed flour to the bread can improve the nutritional value of the bread while preserving the quantitative and qualitative properties of bread.