Development of gluten-free muffins utilizing squash seed dietary fiber

The Impacts of Standardized Flaxseed Meal (XanFlax) on the Physicochemical, Textural, and Sensory Properties of Muffins

Flaxseed is becoming increasingly popular as a superfood due to its many health benefits. While flaxseed is considered an oilseed, flaxseed meal (the by-product of flaxseed oil extraction) also contains many nutritional compounds not found in the oil. This study explored the use of a Canadian flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) meal product to fortify bakery foods and improve their nutritional properties. Muffins were made using a control recipe as well as four different formulations that included varying amounts of a standardized flaxseed meal supplement called XanFlax (5, 10, 20, and 40%). The physicochemical properties of the muffins, including their texture, color, sugar content, pH, specific gravity, loss rate, and moisture, were evaluated. Additionally, the sensory attributes contributing to muffin quality were thoroughly examined. The lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) of the muffins, which were highest in the control group at 82.22 and 34.69, respectively, decreased as the amount of XanFlax increased (p < 0.05). Additionally, the redness (a*) of the muffins increased as the amount of XanFlax increased (p < 0.05). The muffins' sugar content (2.00 brix%) remained consistent across all treatments and controls except for those prepared with 20% XanFlax (2.17 brix%). As the amount of XanFlax powder increased, the pH of the muffins increased significantly. The moisture content in the muffins was highest at 23.71 ± 0.79% in the 10% XanFlax treatment and lowest at 22.06 ± 0.30% in the 40% XanFlax treatment. The muffins enriched with 5% XanFlax had an average height of 5.35 cm and volume of 131.33 mL, surpassing the results for the muffins made with other formulas (p < 0.05). Additionally, the cohesiveness and gumminess of the muffins tended to increase with the addition of XanFlax. The most favorable attributes, namely the appearance, flavor, taste, texture, and overall acceptance, were consistently associated with the 5% and 10% XanFlax treatments (p < 0.05). This study marks the first time a standardized flaxseed gum product, XanFlax, has been described in a functional baking application.

Muffins fortified with Dacryodes macrophylla L. fruit: quality and sensory evaluation

Introduction. Due to the increasing demand for natural and functional products, scientists together with industries are conducting research to improve the nutritional quality of food. One of the ways to enhance the functionality of food is to add fruits or vegetables to their formulations. In this study, we attempted to develop muffins fortified with Dacryodes macrophylla L. fruit as a value-added ingredient. Study objects and methods. Our study objects included D. macrophylla L. extract and six muffins: three eggless samples and three egg-containing samples. Each group included control and experimental samples. The experimental samples containing 0.5 and 1% of D. macrophylla L. extract instead of wheat flour were evaluated for muffin-making properties. All the samples were analyzed for their physicochemical, antioxidant, and sensory properties, as well as rheological parameters. Results and discussion. We found that D. macrophylla L. reduced the water activity, color values (L*, a*, b*), and firmness of muffins. It had no significant effect on baking loss, height, moisture, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess or chewiness, but tended to decrease the specific volume of muffins. However, D. macrophylla L. fruit increased the specific gravity, improved rheology properties, and tended to increase adhesiveness and mineral contents. Na and K varied from 5.93 to 7.75 and 2.88 to 7.35 mg/g, respectively. Furthermore, D. macrophylla L. fruit significantly improved the muffins’ antioxidant activities. According to sensory evaluation, the muffins made with egg solids and 0.5% of D. macrophylla L. fruit had higher sensory scores than the other experimental samples. Conclusion. D. macrophylla L. fruit is a good potential ingredient for enriching muffins and developing new functional bakery products. However, further research is needed to improve the color reproduction of muffins and determine the optimal concentration of D. macrophylla L.

Physicochemical properties improvement and structural changes of bamboo shoots (Phyllostachys praecox f. Prevernalis) dietary fiber modified by subcritical water and high pressure homogenization: a comparative study

In presented study, the effects of subcritical water (SW) and high pressure homogenization (HPH) treatments on the physicochemical and structural characteristics of dietary fibers (DFs) from bamboo shoots (Phyllostachys praecox f. Prevernalis) were investigated. The soluble dietary fiber (SDF) content was dramatically increased in SW and HPH treated DFs. Compared with HPH, SW modification enhanced higher physicochemical properties including water holding capacity (WHC), oil holding capacity (OHC) and swelling capacity (SC) of DFs. The abilities of DFs to absorb cholesterol and nitrite ions were both greatly increased after treatments. The results of Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the structure of DFs were changed by SW and HPH. In conclusion, SW treatment showed better effects on improvement of physicochemical properties of bamboo shoot DFs than that of HPH, and the modified DFs could be a potential new functional foods or food additives.

Gluten-free green banana flour muffins: chemical, physical, antioxidant, digestibility and sensory analysis

Considering the low availability of gluten-free products that are offered an affordable price and good sensory characteristics, the main objective of the study was developed a gluten-free muffin based on green banana flour and evaluate their physical-chemical and sensorial aspects. The quality of the muffin was analyzed through such moisture content, ashes, proteins, lipids, fiber, carbohydrates, total caloric content, yield mass, weight loss in the supply, antioxidant activity, protein digestibility, and hedonic scale. The results showed that the gluten-free muffin had a moisture content of 26.7%, ash of 2.39%, lipids of 15.4%, proteins of 10.3%, fibers of 1.2%, carbohydrates of 44.0%, the total caloric value of 261.2 kcal, high protein digestibility and moderate antioxidant activity. The acceptability index was 84.5%. It has been concluded that gluten-free muffin with green banana flour is a viable alternative for the reason that they have higher protein content than other alternative flours.