Development of eggless cakes suitable for lacto-vegetarians using isolated pea proteins

Abstract

Cakes are important confectionery and are enjoyed socially within groups. Eggs are important components of cakes, providing emulsification, flavour, colour, and many other properties. However, because of various health concerns and religious beliefs, some consumers cannot enjoy traditional cakes made with eggs. In the current study, isolated pea protein (PPI), xanthan gum (XN), and emulsifier mixtures were investigated to prepare eggless cakes and their roles were determined. The physicochemical properties of the batter and final cake products, the microstructure of the final cakes, and structural properties of starches and glutens at the meso-scale were characterised. The eggless cake recipe containing PPI, 0.1% XN and 1% soy lecithin (SL) was found to be close to the control traditional cakes in terms of specific gravity (1.01 vs. 1.03), crumb colour (a* at 0.09 vs. −0.04), and crumb pore properties (average pore area both 0.20 mm2). Cakes with formulation R4 were most similar to the control cakes with respect to the 1047/1022 relative intensity of the IR spectra of starches (both 0.55) and the nanostructures of glutenins. Therefore, formulation PPI+0.1% XN+ 1% SL was considered as a potential candidate recipe for substituting eggs in cakes.