Development of high-fruit-dietary-fibre muffins

 Following medical recommendations, consumers now demand fibre-fortified food products. The aim of this study was to develop muffins in which peach dietary fibre (DF) was added at 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10% levels, substituting up to 32% flour. The products were compared to a control muffin (100% flour). It was observed that the moisture of the muffins increased with the DF content because of the high water-holding capacity of peach DF. Weight (30±2 g), height (4.5±0.4 cm), springiness (0.88±0.07 cm) and cohesiveness (0.46±0.04) were not affected by DF content, but the rest of the textural parameters (hardness, chewiness and gumminess) increased with DF content. The incorporation of this ingredient produced slightly darker products. Muffins with 2, 3, 4 and 5% peach DF levels were considered to be as acceptable as the control, based on hedonic-scale ratings given by consumer panellists. Received: 10 February 1999 / Revised version: 6 April 1999     

Consumer acceptance of high-fibre muffins and rusks baked with red palm olein

The acceptance of, preference for and consumption intent for high‐fibre muffins and/or rusks baked with either red palm olein (RPO) or sunflower oil (SFO, as control) were evaluated by two consumer groups of 144 and 67 consumers, respectively, in order to determine the possibility of their successful inclusion as carriers for oils in a subsequent nutrition intervention trial. A five‐point hedonic and food action rating scale was used for sensory evaluation. SFO muffins and rusks scored significantly higher than RPO products on a number of hedonic dimensions and were thus more acceptable to the average consumer. Sensory attributes of SFO and RPO products received high scores by consumers from both groups (≥4.0 on five‐point scale), and consumers intended to eat them often (at least one per day). The RPO products were satisfactory in terms of acceptance and complied with requirements for use in the subsequent nutrition intervention trial.     

Combined use of rebaudioside A and fibres for partial sucrose replacement in muffins

Steviol glycosides are highly sweet natural compounds from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni leaves which have recently been approved as sweeteners for a range of foods. To evaluate whether steviol glycosides may be used for partial replacement of sucrose in bakery products, muffins were produced where 30% sucrose of the formulation was exchanged against an iso-sweet amount of rebaudioside A in combination with several fibres. Baked products were subjected to chemical, colour and texture analysis, and sensory characteristics were assessed by flash profiling. Multivariate analysis of instrumental and sensory data indicates that a combination of inulin or polydextrose with rebaudioside A results in products with characteristics close to those of a reference. The incorporation of these replacers reduced energy by 6 or 5 kJ/100 kJ, and increases fibre content from 1.3 g/100 g to 4.6 or 7.1 g/100 g, respectively. The use of wheat bran or apple fibre as bulk replacer for sucrose gives products which mainly deviate in crumb colour and are characterised by a wholemeal off-taste, whereas increased crumbliness and reduced elasticity is the consequence of partial sucrose replacement by oat, pea or wheat fibre, cellulose or maltodextrin.     

Effect of flax addition on the flavor profile of muffins and snack bars

Development of bakery products containing milled flaxseed, could have potential health benefits due to its high antioxidant, lignan and omega-3 fatty acid alpha linolenic acid content. However the effect of adding flaxseed, especially in the high amounts required for use as the food supplement in clinical trials, may affect the flavor characteristics. The objective of this study was to evaluate the flavor profile of different muffin and snack bar formulations with and without milled flaxseed. Three snack bar formulations and two muffin formulations with and without flaxseed were evaluated by ten and eleven trained assessors respectively. The intensity of seven aroma and eight flavor attributes for snack bars, and nine aroma and ten flavor attributes for muffins were measured on 15-cm line scales. Both the orange cranberry and apple spice muffin formulations with flaxseed had significantly lower sweetness and vanilla aroma and flavor intensities, and significantly higher grain/flax aroma and flavor, and bitter taste compared to the non-flax muffin. Of the two flavorings apple spice appeared to have the best potential, since the apple aroma and flavor were significantly higher for the flax muffin compared to the non-flax muffin. The orange cranberry, gingerbread raisin and cappuccino chocolate chip snack bar formulations with and without flaxseed showed no significant differences in intensities for the grain/flax aroma and flavor. The gingerbread raisin snack bar formulations showed no significant differences for any other attributes except for higher spice aroma in the flax sample, which makes it a promising flavoring option.     

Baking of muffins: Kinetics of crust color development and optimal baking time

Baking is a decisive stage in the production of bakery products, in general—muffins, in particular—for most of the quality attributes of the final products depend on it. The aim of this work is to model the kinetics of muffin crust color development during baking and to evaluate the feasibility of this kinetic model to predict the baking times. Surface color is represented by the Browning Index, and the effect of baking temperature (from 140 to 220 °C) and process convective characteristics (natural convection, forced convection, and steam-assisted forced convection) are analyzed. Minimal baking times are calculated from experimental core temperature measurements. The modeling of browning kinetics, which incorporates the optimal crust color determined by sensory analysis, allows the estimation of optimal baking times. For all the tested conditions t _op?>?t _min, assuring a product whose inner structure was already totally baked. Finally, minimal, half, and optimal baking times present an exponential dependence with the oven temperature. Besides, there are no significant differences between both forced convection modes.     

Effects of lupin incorporation on the physical properties and stability of bioactive constituents in muffins

Germinated Australian sweet lupin (ASL) flour (after germination for 7 days) was incorporated into muffin formulation at 0%, 2%, 4%, 6% and 8% of dried muffin weight. The effect on the physical characteristics of muffins including height, diameter, colour and texture (hardness, cohesiveness, springiness and chewiness) was measured. The stability of phenolic, phytosterol compounds and the antiradical activity of the muffins before and after baking (190 °C, 25 min) were determined. The level of incorporation of germinated ASL flour affected the volume, colour, hardness and muffin texture. Muffins incorporated with germinated ASL flour at the levels used in this research exhibited higher concentrations of total phenolic compounds, phytosterol and antiradical activity than those in control muffins. The baking process did not significantly reduce the phenolic compounds, phytosterol and antiradical activity.     

Rheological,textural and sensorial properties of low-sucrose muffins reformulated with sucralose/polydextrose

A study was made of the structure, texture, appearance, colour and consumer sensory analysis of low-sucrose muffins in which the sucrose had been totally or partially replaced (25%, 50%, 75%) by a sucralose:polydextrose mixture (1:1012). The structural characteristics of the muffin batters and of the baked muffins were studied through rheometry, microscopy, image analysis and texture analysis. The replacement of sucrose decreased the viscosity, viscoelasticiy and specific gravity of the raw muffin batter. The evolution of the batter’s viscoelastic properties during heating reveals a decrease in the thermosetting temperature with sucrose replacement. These changes in the batter were associated with a muffin with less height, hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness and resilience and fewer air cells than the control. For 50% sucrose replacement, the appearance, colour, texture, flavour and sweetness and general acceptability were similar to those of the control. Significantly less acceptable muffins were obtained with 100% sucrose replacement.     

Physical properties of muffins sweetened with steviol glycosides as the sucrose replacement

Overconsumption of sweets contributes to increasing obesity among children and adults. Functional food brings an opportunity to improve nutritional value of commonly eaten products, e.g., pastry products. New trends in the food industry tend to produce low-calorie products by replacing sugar or fat with additives having pro-health benefits. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of replacing sucrose with steviol glycosides (natural non-caloric sweetener) on the quality properties of bakery products. The analysis of muffin’s texture, color, cooking yield, browning index, and sensory analysis were performed. The study showed that a 25% addition of steviol sweetener (as a sucrose replacement) was the most appropriate modification of the basic formula. The resulting muffins gained sensory attractiveness and health-promoting qualities. Moreover, the study showed that a reduction of sucrose in excess of 50% had a negative impact on the quality of muffins and their sensory profiles.     

Textural and colour changes during storage and sensory shelf life of muffins containing resistant starch

The effect on baked muffins of progressively replacing wheat flour with resistant starch (RS) (26/0, 21/5, 16/10, 11/15 and 6/20) was studied. In this study, texture profile analysis (TPA) and the elastic recovery test were used to evaluate the effects of RS on the textural properties of fresh and stored muffins (from 0 to 16 days). Textural parameter values decreased with the increase of RS; springiness and cohesiveness reflected better than the textural differences for fresh muffins. Changes in the textural parameter values with storage time were smaller at higher RS levels. Survival analysis methodology was used to estimate the changes in muffin shelf life. Shelf life time of control muffin is higher than 20% RS muffin for 25% consumer rejection but this behaviour is the opposite for 50% consumer rejection.     

Quality and antioxidant properties of functional rice muffins enriched with shiitake mushroom and carrot pomace

This study developed functional muffin by incorporating bioactive-rich food materials into rice muffin formulation. Rice flour was progressively replaced with shiitake mushroom powder (MP) and carrot pomace powder (CP) and effects on pasting, physical and textural properties, as well as the antioxidant activity and consumer acceptability, were evaluated. The pasting properties of rice flour were significantly influenced (P < 0.05) by MP and CP incorporation. The additional increase in the levels of MP and CP decreased the volume of enriched muffins with a subsequent increase in weight and hardness. Higher polyphenol and carotenoid contents were observed in enriched muffins, exhibiting higher 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant activity compared to rice muffins. Sensory result revealed enriched muffins to have comparable and better consumer acceptability than rice muffin. Improvement in antioxidant properties of the developed functional rice muffins by MP and CP incorporation makes it a potential snack, suitable for consumption for its health benefits.     

Effect of baking on dietary fibre and phenolics of muffins incorporated with apple skin powder

Apple fruit skin, a rich source of dietary fibre and phenolics, is a by-product of apple processing. The effect of baking on the dietary fibre, phenolics, and total antioxidant capacity was investigated using a model system of muffins incorporated with dried apple skin powder (ASP) as a value-added food ingredient. The blanched, dehydrated, and ground ASP contained approximately 41% total dietary fibre and oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) of 52 mg Trolox equivalents g⁻¹ dry weight. The total dietary fibre content, total phenolic content, and total antioxidant capacity of muffins were positively correlated to the amount of ASP incorporated into muffins. The mean percent recovery of quercetin glycosides, catechins, chlorogenic acid, phloridzin, and cyanidin galactoside after baking were 61%, 57%, 53%, 44%, and 20%.     

Rheology,texture, quality characteristics and immunochemical validation of millet based gluten free muffins

The aim of the study was to develop Gluten free (GF) muffins at par with wheat flour muffins in terms of quality. Finger millet flour (FM) and whey protein concentrate (WP) blends were made in the ratio of 100:0, 95:5, 90:10 and 85:15. As the level of WP increased in the blends from 0 to 15 %, there was a decrease in peak, hot and cold paste viscosities. Muffins made with the blend 90:10 had a highest volume and overall quality scores among the blends. Hence the blend 90:10 was optimized. The improving effects of additives were evident in the texture profile analysis of muffins as additives decreased hardness and increased springiness values. The combination of FM:WP 90:10 + Distilled glycerol monostearate + Hydoxypropylmethylcellulose brought about significant improvement in the quality of the muffins. The GF muffins were immunochemically validated and was found safe for inclusion in the diet of celiac disease patients.     

Combined use of cocoa dietary fibre and steviol glycosides in low‐calorie muffins production

Today, consumers are more conscious about nutrition and food products with health benefits. In this study, partial sucrose replacement (20%) with steviol glycosides derived from Stevia Rebaudiana and total replacement of cocoa powder with cocoa fibre preparation in muffins were conducted. There were three levels of dietary fibre addition – 3%, 6% and 12%. Physical analysis of texture, colour, cooking yield and porosity was conducted. Moreover, chemical analysis of total dietary fibre and total phenol content was made as well. Sensory evaluation in two parts was also carried out. The experiment revealed the increase in firmness, porosity, TDF and TCP and the decrease in springiness, cohesiveness and lightness. The best‐ranked sample in sensory evaluation was muffin with 6% of TDF sweetened with mixture of sugar and stevia. Stevia addition enhanced cocoa and sweet taste in tested muffins.