Effect of brown seaweed addition and starch gelatinization on gluten-free chestnut flour doughs and cookies

Abstract

The study evaluated the effect of starch gelatinization during mixing and Bifurcaria bifurcata seaweed powder (BBP) addition at 3, 6 and 9% (w/w) flour basis on rheological properties of chestnut flour doughs, antioxidant activity and textural properties of cookies. BBP addition increased the stability time (≈ 1 min) and decreased the mechanical weakening (0.01–0.09 N m) of doughs. BBP addition > 6% increased elastic character and zero shear viscosity of doughs. Water absorption obtained by standard mixing test can be employed to carry out mixing at 50 °C obtaining the same target consistency. Gelatinized starch enhanced the recovery properties of doughs (≈ 10%). Baking step increased total phenolic content and free radical DPPH scavenging activity (> 25%) of cookies extracts in comparison to those obtained from non-baked flour blends. Hardness of cookies increased with BBP addition (> 3%) and it is in the same range (8000–10,000 g) of other commercial cookies. These results indicated that these fortified GF cookies can be considered as alternative for improving the coeliac people diet.