Antioxidant activities and physical properties of milk chocolate enriched with plant-based functional ingredients

Abstract

The improvement of health-promoting properties of chocolate is a nowadays trend in the food industry. Plant-based foods, such as mung bean, fenugreek seed and moringa leaf, are well-acknowledged to have functional properties which are beneficial for health. Nevertheless, incorporating these materials into chocolate may affect the character of chocolate. This research, therefore, aimed to study the effect of powdered mung bean, fenugreek seed and moringa leaf addition on the antioxidant activity and physical properties of milk chocolate. The materials were added in a range of 5-15%. Antioxidant properties, including total phenols, total flavonoids and DPPH-radical scavenging activity as well as colour and texture were thoroughly analysed. The results showed that the addition of mung bean, fenugreek seed and moringa leaf significantly improved the antioxidant activity of milk chocolates. The addition of the above-mentioned materials also had a significant impact on the physical properties of the products. However, the effect was ingredient type-dependent, and thus it indicates the importance of ingredient selection in the making of functional chocolate.