Nutritional Quality and Safety Characteristics of Imported Biscuits Marketed in Basrah, Iraq

The ingredients and the preparation methods influence biscuit quality and safety. In Iraq, biscuit imports are increasing every year, but no information is available in the scientific literature on their quality and safety features. This work analyzed three types of biscuits (cookies, crackers, and digestives) sampled in the Basrah markets (Iraq) but produced in Spain, Iran, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates. Nine different brands were considered for each country of origin (n = 36), with three replicates per sample. Moisture, ash, fat, proteins, fiber, water activity, peroxide value, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF), acrylamide, heavy metals, and microbial load were analyzed. All the nutritional parameters were significantly influenced by the variables “Biscuit type” and “Country”. Cookies showed significantly higher fat content and lower protein content than crackers and digestives, as well as higher peroxide value (which was below the limit set by the FAO/WHO within the World Wood Program). Spanish samples had more fat and fewer proteins than biscuits made in other countries. Very high variability was observed in HMF (from not detected to 62.08 mg/kg) and AA content (reaching 1421.8 μg/kg). Cadmium was always absent, and lead was considerably below the allowed limit. Yeasts and molds were above the limits in five samples.