The reduction of postharvest losses in rice and safou is imperative to increase productivity in their respective value chains. In this study, fine broken rice grains were used to produce rice flour and subsequently rice‐based biscuits. The biscuits were further fortified with safou powder, and the physical, nutritional, and sensory quality and stability during storage of the different types of biscuits were analyzed using standard methods. Fine or nonsandy biscuits had peak particle size of 500 µm, while medium (slightly sandy) and large (sandy) biscuits had peak particle sizes of 1,000 µm and 1,400 µm, respectively. The hardness varied from 5.7 ± 2.3 N for biscuits with large particles to 16.1 ± 4.4 N for biscuits with fine particles. Fortification of biscuits with sour safou increased the protein and amino acid content of the biscuits. Tryptophan was absent in both safou and the biscuits produced. There was an increase in phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, manganese, and aluminum following fortification with safou. Nonsandy biscuits dissolved faster in the mouth (melt) during consumption than the other biscuits although most of the biscuits were perceived to be low in melting and buttery. Nonsandy biscuits were rated as “very good,” while slightly sandy and sandy were rated as “good.” Safou rice‐based biscuits were perceived as “very good,” while simple rice biscuits were perceived as “good.” Fortification of rice biscuits with safou increased the protein, essential amino acid, and mineral contents of the biscuits with very appreciable taste. These biscuits can be used to help fight protein, iron, and zinc malnutrition and in mitigating postharvest losses of underutilized broken rice and safou especially sour safou.

Trends in the food industry are nowadays directed towards the reduction of the level of trans fatty acids in food intended for human consumption. The present study was designed and aimed at valorizing Dacryodes edulis (L.) powder as a substitute for margarine in the production of functional rice biscuits. The effect of substituting margarine and refined wheat flour with D. edulis powder locally called safou and rice flour, respectively, at different proportions was assessed for the sensory and physicochemical properties of the formulated biscuits. For this, statistical models were developed, validated, and optimized using the response surface methodology with the Doehlert design as a tool. The results showed that an increase in the substitution rate of margarine with of D. edulis powder enhanced the aroma while the substitution of refined wheat flour with rice flour led to an improvement of the overall quality of the biscuits. The optimal composition of dough for the production of biscuits with satisfying sensory properties was 20.24% of wheat flour, 24.51% of rice flour, 19.09% of margarine, and 2.47% of D. edulis powder. The optimized biscuit which scored the highest overall acceptability contained proteins (10.33 g/100 g DM), fat (27.66 g/100 g DM), crude fibers (2.5 g/100 g DM), ash (3.55 g/100 g DM), and carbohydrates (54.01 g/100 g DM). It has an energy density of 506.3 ± 0.1   kcal / g and could therefore be suitable for the management of malnutrition. Mineral analysis revealed that the biscuit contained sodium (0.200 mg/100 g), potassium (0.192 mg/100 g), phosphorus (0.123 mg/100 g), iron (33.60 ppm), and zinc (26.81 ppm) at levels satisfying the recommended daily intakes. The results of this study demonstrated the suitability of safou as substitute of margarine in the rice biscuit formulation and suggests the potential of the formulated biscuits in the management of malnutrition and noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases.