Development and evaluation of anxiolytic potential of bagels incorporated with banana peel flour and lavender

Anxiety affects a quarter of people globally. It can be treated with medicinal plants i.e., Lavendula angustifolia, with anxiolytic compounds, and fruits such as banana, with mood-stabilizing vitamins and minerals. Functional baking products are being designed to address prevalent nutritional issues. Bagels are bakery products made by cold fermentation. Therefore, the present study was designed to make therapeutic bagels by incorporating lavender and banana peel powder to evaluate the anxiolytic effect. Whole wheat was used to prepare the control treatment. The combination of whole wheat flour and banana peel powder (90:10) was used to make subsequent three treatments with lavender (T-0: 0 ml, T-1: 5 ml, T-2: 10 ml, and T-3: 15 ml). Sensory evaluation declared T-2 as the most acceptable one. Thus, it was selected for a daily intervention lasting 2-3 weeks. There was a significant (p < 0.01) reduction in the anxiety score of experimental subjects. The final product was analyzed for proximate (moisture, protein, fat, and fiber), physical (color and texture), and phytochemical analysis (antioxidant and total phenolics). The moisture, protein, and fiber content increased from T-0 to T-1 but remained constant in T-1, T-2, and T-3. While fats, DPPH, and TPC increased significantly (p < 0.01) from T-0 to T-3 as 5.25 +/- 0.10 to 7.21 +/- 0.09, 18.09 +/- 0.26 to 47.84 +/- 0.27, and 21.53 +/- 0.17 to 1.58 +/- 0.19, respectively. Banana peel powder imparted a darker tone in bagels. Hence, they can be utilized in value-added food products to relieve stress and anxiety. In future, bioactive characterization of the product and efficacy studies can be done.