Chicken Eggshells Powder as an Economical Source of Dietary Calcium Supplement in Soybean-Wheat Flour Blend Based Cookies.

Abstract

Calcium is an essential nutrient for human health, yet its dietary intake remains inadequate, especially in developing countries like Uganda. This study explored the feasibility of using chicken eggshell powder (ESP) a calcium rich waste product from hatcheries as a dietary calcium supplement in soybean-wheat flour blended cookies and their sensory acceptability on the market. A randomized complete block design was used to prepare cookies with varying ESP levels (0%, 2.5%, 5%, 8%, and 10%) while keeping the soybean flour at a fixed 20% of the total flour mix. Sensory evaluation was done with 30 panelists who judged the cookies based on taste, texture, color, appearance, and general acceptability using a 9-point hedonic scale. Results showed that cookies with 5% ESP had the highest general acceptability (mean score of 7.1). While the 10% ESP cookie was the least preferred (mean score of 6.6), the difference was not significant. There were no significant differences observed across all the sensory parameters. These findings suggest that adding up to 10% ESP can significantly boost the calcium content in cookies without reducing its liking. Calcium analysis revealed a significant increase in calcium content from 0.18% in the control to 1.03% and 1.88% in the 5% and 10% ESP supplemented cookies, respectively. This provides a sustainable, low-cost approach to improving dietary calcium intake and reducing eggshell waste in Uganda.