Degree of roasting of carob flour affecting the properties of gluten-free cakes and cookies

Formulation of Gluten-Free Cookies Utilizing Chickpea, Carob, and Hazelnut Flours through Mixture Design

Legume flours, which offer high nutritional quality, present viable options for gluten-free bakery products. However, they may have an objectionable flavor and taste for some consumers. In this study, it was aimed to improve the gluten-free cookie formulation by incorporating carob and hazelnut flours to pre-cooked chickpea flour and to investigate the techno-functional properties of the formulated cookies. The flours used in the formulations were assessed for their chemical and physical properties. This study employed a mixture design (simplex-centroid) to obtain the proportions of the flours to be used in the cookie formulations. The rheological characteristics of the doughs and the technological attributes of the baked cookies were determined. The addition of the hazelnut and carob flours had the overall effect of reducing the rheological characteristics of the cookie doughs. Furthermore, the textural attribute of the hardness of the baked cookies decreased as the ratio of hazelnut flour in the formulations was raised. The analysed results and sensory evaluation pointed to a formulation consisting of 30% pre-cooked chickpea/30% carob/30% hazelnut flours, which exhibited improved taste and overall acceptability scores. A total of 16.82 g/100 g of rapidly digestible starch, 5.36 g/100 g of slowly digestible starch, and 8.30 g/100 g of resistant starch exist in this particular cookie. As a result, combinations of chickpea, hazelnut, and carob flours hold promise as good alternatives for gluten-free cookie ingredients and warrant further exploration in the development of similar products.

Inhibitory effect of LSOPC on AGEs formation and sensory quality in cookies

At the conclusion of the Maillard reaction (MR), free amino groups of proteins, amino acids, or lipids with the carboxyl groups of reducing sugars to form stable molecules known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which hasten aging and may potentially be the root cause of a number of chronic degenerative diseases. According to researches, lotus seedpod oligomeric procyanidins (LSOPC), a premium natural antioxidant produced from lotus waste, can be included in cookies to improve flavor and lower the risk of illnesses linked to AGEs. In this work, we used cookies without LSOPC as a control to examine the effects of adding various concentrations of LSOPC (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4%) on the AGEs formation and the sensory quality in cookies. The amounts of AGEs and N-ε-carboxymethyl lysine (CML) decreased with the increase of LSOPC concentration, indicating that the concentration of LSOPC was positively correlated with the ability to inhibit AGEs formation. It was also demonstrated that the amount of antioxidant capacity of the cookies increased significantly with the increase of LSOPC concentration. On the other hand, the chromaticity, texture, electronic nose, and other aspects of the cookies' sensory attributes were also evaluated. The color of the cookies deepened and the flavor varied as LSOPC added content increased. The sensory quality of the cookies was examined, and the findings indicated that LSOPC would somewhat improve that quality. These findings implied that AGEs formation could be decreased in cookies while also enhancing their sensory quality by adding LSOPC.

The Effect of Vibratory Grinding Time on Moisture Sorption, Particle Size Distribution, and Phenolic Bioaccessibility of Carob Powder

Carob pod powder, an excellent source of health-promoting substances, has found its use in a wide range of food products. Grinding conditions affect the physical and chemical properties of the powder, but their influence on the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds in carob pod powder has not yet been determined. The carob pods were ground for 30-180 s in a vibratory grinder. The median values (D₅₀) of particle size decreased after 60 s of grinding (87.9 μm), then increased to 135.1 μm. Lightness showed a negative correlation with D₅₀ and a_w, while the values of redness and yellowness decreased with the reduction in particle size and water activity. The smaller the value of D₅₀, the higher the equilibrium moisture content of carob powder. Phenolic acids (vanillic, ferulic, cinnamic) and flavonoids (luteolin, naringenin, apigenin) were found in all samples of carob powder. The grinding time influenced their content in carob powder, with maximum values at 180 s. Similar observations were made when assessing antioxidant capacity. The in vitro digestion process only improved the bioaccessibility of catechin content in all samples. However, the bioaccessibility of the phenolic compounds and the total phenolic and flavonoid contents decreased with the increase in grinding time. Our findings revealed that the grinding of carob pods for 180 s improved the extractability of phenolics; however, their bioaccessibility was reduced. It is sufficient to ground the carob pod for 30 s, ensuring good availability of nutraceuticals and lower energy cost for grinding.

Identification of gluten-like proteins in selected pod bearing leguminous tree seeds

The protein composition, molecular weight distribution, and rheological properties of honey locust, mesquite, Kentucky coffee tree, and carob seed germs were compared against wheat gluten. Polymeric and Osborne fractionation protocols were used to assess biochemical properties. Dynamic oscillatory shear tests were performed to evaluate protein functionality. All samples had similar ratios of protein fractions as well as high molecular weight disulfide linked proteins except for the Kentucky coffee tree germ proteins, which were found to have lower molecular weight proteins with little disulfide polymerization. Samples were rich in acidic and polar amino acids (glutamic acid and arginine,). Rheological analyses showed that vital wheat gluten had the most stable network, while Kentucky coffee seed proteins had the weakest. High molecular weight disulfide linked glutenous proteins are a common, but not universal feature of pod bearing leguminous trees.

Cake Perception, Texture and Aroma Profile as Affected by Wheat Flour and Cocoa Replacement with Carob Flour

Carob flour has been used in the production of a wide range of functional food formulations such as bakery goods either as a natural sweetener or food ingredient that, when roasted, exerts a chocolate/cocoa-reminiscent flavor and color. The aim of the present study was twofold; firstly to study the effect of an increasing incorporation of roasted carob flour (0-70% flour basis) on the quality and sensory attributes of a conventional cocoa cake recipe and secondly to investigate the obtained volatile fraction responsible for the aroma by means of headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) technique coupled to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) while comparing it with the control, cocoa-containing cake recipe. Thirty and fifty percent carob flour incorporation rendered cakes with acceptable texture and sensory attributes, comparable to the control cake recipe containing 20% cocoa. Similarity to cocoa aroma was attributed to a great number of odor active compounds mainly belonging to aldehydes, lactones, furan/pyran derivatives, and pyrrole derivatives.

Vegetable-Milk-Based Yogurt-Like Structure: Rheological Properties Influenced by Gluten-Free Carob Seed Flour

There is a constant increase in the attention being paid to food quality and the effects of food on human health among consumers. Vegetable milk is among the foods whose consumption worldwide has increased because, when compared to animal-derived milk, it offers numerous benefits for human health. The aim of this research work was to use vegetable milk to obtain yogurt-like products enriched with different concentrations of carob seed flour, which has a double function: to modify, and thus perfect, the rheological characteristics of vegetable-milk-based yogurt-like samples and to increase their nutritional value. The rheological parameters of the obtained samples were studied both in static and dynamic conditions, confirming that carob seed flour, especially at the highest used concentrations (0.75%; 1%), allows one to obtain products characterized by a good stability and suitable rheological characteristics. The obtained yogurt-like products may also be consumed by celiac subjects, since carob seed flour is a gluten-free flour, and allow celiac consumers to combine a gluten-free diet with a diet free of animal derivatives. Furthermore, the addition of carob flour allows one to obtain a tasty product thanks to the sweet taste of the carob seed flour.

Functional properties of muffin as affected by substituing wheat flour with carob powder

Carob (Cerationa soliqua L.) pod is the good source of dietary fiber, minerals and polyphenolic substances. The aim of this study was to prepare muffin where wheat flour was substituted with carob powder, and determine some physicochemical properties. Carob powder was prepared by milling dry carob pods to particles smaller than 600 μm. Then wheat flour in muffin dough was replaced by carob powder in 5, 10, 15 and 20% (w/w) and subsequently baked at 180 °C for 20 min. It was found that the height of the muffin fortified with carob powder decreased in comparison with that in control muffin sample. Although the height of muffins decreased with the increase in level of carob powder, the differences were not statistically significant. Weight loss was similar for all the muffin samples in this study. Moisture content of muffins with carob powder was significantly higher than that in control. Addition of carob powder had also effect on water activity of muffin. While 0.905 aw was observed in control sample, significantly higher aw values were determinated in fortified muffins (0.912 – 0.923 aw). The antioxidant characteristics were determinated using spectrophotometric assays for total phenolics (TPC), total flavonoids (TFC), radical scavenging activities (DPPH, ABTS) and hydrogen peroxide scavenging (HPS). TPC values gradually increased with the increase in level of carob powder from 348.1 to 829.1 μg gallic acid.g-1 dry matter but TFC values significantly increased in muffin with 15 and 20% (w/w) of carob powder. All the antioxidant assays showed strong and positive association with the increase in level of carob powder. Addition of carob powder resulted in the increase of browning index and FAST index as a metrics of the formation of Maillard products.

Effect of heat treatment on rheological properties of red kidney bean gluten free cake batter and its relationship with cupcake quality

Legumes and cereals complement their nutritional quality and there is a need of convenience products made with these grains. The objectives of this study were to determine the rheological and functional properties of precooked red kidney bean (RKB) flours and their effect on viscoelastic properties of gluten free cake batter and cupcake quality including consumer acceptance. RKB flours were thermally processed by boiling at 100 °C (0, 20, 30 and 40 min) and drying at 80 °C (3 and 4 h). Rheological properties of cake batter containing 100% RKB flour were tested by creep-recovery and dynamic frequency tests. Batter of RKB flour boiled for 20 min was significantly stiffer with 100 times less deformable character compared to the control. Increase in batter modulus ranged from 2000 times elastic component (G'), 988 times viscous component (G″) and 1805 times complex viscosity (η*) at 20 min boiling. Drying did not have a significant effect on viscoelastic properties. Firmness and height of gluten free RKB cupcake were not affected by heat treatment. RKB gluten free cake after heat-moisture treatment had improved consumer acceptance scores compared to the control. Our findings showed that 20 min boiling and 3 h drying process is adequate for precooked RKB flour.