<![CDATA[The incorporation of chickpea and soybean flours may improve the nutritional quality of gluten-free cookies, particularly their protein and resistant starch contents. This study investigated the effects of various levels of chickpea or soybean flour (10%, 30%, and 50% w/w) substituted to rice flour on the physicochemical and pasting properties of composite flours, and cookie quality, resistant starch, and sensory properties of gluten-free cookies were evaluated. Proximate analysis revealed that fortification increased the protein from 6.8% to 22.36% in the composite flours. The composite flours showed lower swelling index and higher water absorption capacity than rice flour and both peak and final viscosities decreased when compared to rice flour. The increased substitution levels led to cookies of smaller diameter and spread ratio, while the thickness of the cookies was increased when compared with cookies prepared with rice flour alone. The higher the level of chickpea or soybean flour, the darker the color of the cookies (lower L* values), but the higher the redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) values. The resistant starch content increased as well, being the highest in cookies produced with 50% of chickpea or soybean flour (18 or 14.98%, respectively). Sensory evaluation showed no significant differences in color, shape, and aroma, while significant differences were observed in crispiness, taste, and overall acceptability. Overall, the use of chickpea and soybean flours as partial substitutes for rice flour is a promising approach for improving the nutritional quality of gluten-free cookies, particularly their protein and resistant starch contents, while maintaining acceptable sensory properties.]]>
