The use of guar and xanthan gums in the production of 'light' low fat cakes

The objective of this work was to develop low fat or light cakes by substituting the fat with either guar or xanthan gums. In order to measure the effect of this substitution, the following were evaluated: specific density of the dough, specific volume, moisture content, internal characteristics and the presence of moulds. Cakes with 25 and 50% substitution of the fat were also evaluated with respect to water activity (A_w), firmness and elasticity. The proximate composition analysis was used to determine the reductions in fat content and caloric value. Cakes with 50% substitution with guar and xanthan gums, up to 15 days storage, showed no significant difference (P < 0.05) with respect to firmness and elasticity. Therefore substitution of 50% of the normal fat content with gums allowed the production of cakes that were light with respect to their fat content. It was found that those made with xanthan gum were considered better with respect to overall appreciation and texture in the acceptability test.