Preparation and evaluation of functional cocoa-free spread alternatives from different sources

Spread products have an important market share as they have high nutritional value and they are increasingly consumed, especially by children as a source of energy. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the potential use of powdered chickpea, black rice, carob, doum, date seeds, and beetroot to produce novel functional spreadable products as cocoa-free alternatives. Additionally, to avoid the side effects of cocoa-based products and to assess the cocoa replacement effects on the sensory properties, chemical composition, texture analysis, viscosity, antioxidant, peroxide stability, and microbial quality during storage periods were compared to the ones of cocoa spread. Sensory evaluation revealed that most formulated spreads were accepted as chocolate spread alternatives since there was no significant difference in overall acceptability among cocoa, chickpea, black rice, carob, and doum, while date seeds and beetroot spreads were significantly less acceptable. A variation was observed in the proximate chemical analysis of the produced functional spreads, as the alternative spreads had different characteristics to each other in their physicochemical, texture, and rheological properties. Results indicated a wide variation in the total phenolic content (TPC) of the different spread extracts. The highest amount of TPC was obtained for beetroot spread (455.84 mg GAE/100 g) followed by black rice spread (436.08 mg GAE/100 g). The obtained results indicated that the antioxidant activity of different spreads was significantly different (p < .05) while based on their microbiological analysis, they could have a shelf life of up to 9 months. According to the results, chickpea, carob, doum, black rice, date seeds, and beetroot powders could be used for the production of cocoa-free alternatives as they were highly acceptable and they showed antioxidant and antimicrobial activity.

Improvement of nutritional properties of regular and gluten-free cakes with composite flour

This study was carried out to develop regular and gluten-free cakes with the high nutritional and functional value from composite flours. Composite flour was prepared by blending of equal amounts of chestnut, lupine and pumpkin flour. Wheat flour (for regular cake) and corn starch: rice flour blend (for gluten-free cake) used in cake formulation were replaced with composite flour in ratios of 9, 18, 27 and 36%, respectively. Composite flour had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on all color parameters of the crust and crumb of regular and gluten-free cake samples. Cake weight and hardness values increased with the use of composite flour in regular and gluten-free cake samples, and higher weight and hardness values were determined in gluten-free cakes. High composite flour ratios (27-36%) resulted in the lowest cake volume in both cakes. The gluten-free cake had lower ash, protein, antioxidant activity and total phenolic content (TPC) compared to the regular cake. The composite flour usage increased the ash, protein, antioxidant activity, TPC, and mineral contents of both cake samples. When the nutritional, functional, technological and sensory properties of cakes were evaluated together, it was concluded that the use of 9% composite flour was the most appropriate ratio for both cake types.

Development and performance evaluation of an improved electric baking oven for baked products

An improved electric baking oven was designed and fabricated using locally available materials for baking cakes and biscuits. Provisions of necessary adjustments were employed for ensuring uniform distribution of heat in all trays of the baking chamber. Its baking characteristics in terms of baking time, specific volume, and product quality in terms of sensory attributes were evaluated. The oven was found to be quite satisfactory in functioning for baking cakes and biscuits. Total time was only 15-28 min for baking the cake samples in the oven. On the other hand, comparatively, a bit longer time 18-35 min required for baking the biscuit samples. Baking cost was lesser in baking small-sized cakes and biscuits than those of large sized. The quality of baked products was better in terms of taste, color, flavor, texture, and appearance than ordinary market products. Loaf volume of each cake (with 4 × 5 × 8 cm3) was 100%, which gave specific volume of 652.8 cm3/kg. Similarly, the specific volume of biscuits was 810 cm3/kg. The electric baking oven is quite efficient in baking quality cakes and biscuits uniformly, which can be provided to rural small entrepreneurs for commercial manufacturing of biscuits and cakes.

Process-Induced Modifications on Quality Attributes of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Flour

Cassava flour (CF) is a suitable representative and one of the easiest shelf-stable food products of the edible portion of the highly perishable cassava root (Manihot esculenta Crantz). The quality and type of CF are dependent on processing variables. Broadly categorized into fermented and unfermented CF, unfermented CF is white, odorless, and bland, while fermented CF has a sour flavor accompanied by its characteristic odor. The use of fermented CF as a composite is limited because of their off-odors. Modifications in CF processing have given rise to prefixes such as: modified, unmodified, gelatinized, fortified, native, roasted, malted, wet, and dry. Consumed alone, mostly in reconstituted dough form with soups, CF may also serve as a composite in the processing of various flour-based food products. Fermenting with microorganisms such as Rhizopus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae results in a significant increase in the protein content and a decrease in the cyanide content of CF. However, there are concerns regarding its safety for consumption. Pre-gelatinized CF has potential for the textural and structural improvement of bakery products. The average particle size of the CF also influences its functional properties and, subsequently, the quality of its products. Cassava flour is best stored at ambient temperature. Standardizing the processing of CF is a challenge because it is mostly processed in artisanal units. Furthermore, each variety of the root best suits a particular application. Therefore, understanding the influence of processing variables on the characteristics of CF may improve the utilization of CF locally and globally.

Pancake ready mix enriched with dehydrated squash pulp (Cucurbita moschata): formulation and shelf life

The objective of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical, sensory and texture characteristics of pancakes which contained dehydrated squash pulp (10 and 30 g/100 g of ready mix pancake). For this, first the physicochemical characteristics as well as the thermal and functional properties of dehydrated squash pulp (DSP) were determined. Then, the stability of the pancake ready mix was evaluated, through its physical-chemical and microbiological properties, during a storage period of 3 weeks, at 25, 40 and 50 °C. Finally, shelf life was estimated by means of two predictive methods (reaction kinetics and microbiological method). Results showed that DSP presented a high dietary fiber content (30.02 g/100 g), total carotenoids (452.04 µg/g), and phenolic compounds (415 ± 9.19 mg GAE/100 g), high swelling power, low solubility and emulsifying capacity. The formulation with the highest acceptance was that containing 10% dehydrated squash pulp (DSP-10), which obtained a shelf life of 5.39 weeks (28 °C) (reaction kinetics) and 33.51 weeks (microbiological method).

Application of transglutaminase for quality improvement of whole soybean curd

To improve the quality of whole soybean curd (WSC), effects of compound coagulants consisting of calcium chloride (CaCl₂) and transglutaminase (TGase) were investigated. The results showed that TGase modified the water distribution and reduced the cooking loss of WSC, accompanying with increased water holding capacity. The bloom value of WSC was upgraded as the TGase concentration increased. Although certain sensory parameters showed different scores in groups, the overall acceptability of 1500 ppm group was the highest. TPA test suggested that hardness, springiness and chewiness were promoted by TGase significantly. Smooth appearance of WSC was observed, resulting from the transformation of microstructure. Protein subunits of 7Sα', 7Sα, 7Sβ, 11SA3, 11S acidic, and 11S basic proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, band intensity of protein subunits declined at storage and cooking phase, indicating that crosslinking of proteins was still in progress. In conclusion, the addition of TGase improved the quality of CaCl₂-induced WSC and could be used to facilitate the production of this new type of soybean product.

Gluten-free biscuits based on composite rice–chickpea flour and xanthan gum

A gluten-free biscuit for celiac children based on composite rice–chickpea flour was developed. Xanthan gum was used to overcome the handling difficulties associated with the absence of gluten in the rice–chickpea flour. The effect of different levels of xanthan gum incorporation (0.5, 1, and 1.5% of flour) on the texture and rheological properties of the dough and on the texture, dimensions, moisture, water activity (aw), and sensory acceptability of the biscuit was studied. The incorporation of xanthan gum into rice–chickpea flour significantly affected the textural and linear viscoelastic properties of the dough, as well as the texture, weight, moisture, aw, and dimensions of the biscuits. Increasing the xanthan gum level increases the hardness and elasticity of the dough, and decreases its springiness, cohesiveness, and adhesiveness. The addition of xanthan gum resulted in a significant improvement in the thickness and specific volume of biscuits. Xanthan gum water holding capacity increases the moisture content and the aw of the baked biscuits and reduces biscuit hardness. In terms of sensory acceptability, xanthan gum slightly reduces rice–chickpea flour biscuit acceptability, but the differences were not significant. Consequently, using xanthan gum to achieve the proper technological properties of dough required for the industrial production of gluten-free rice–chickpea flour biscuits is a viable alternative.