Physical, textural, and sensory evaluation of cakes with carob molasses pulp

Abstract

Carob molasses pulp flour (CMP), rich in fibers, minerals, and polyphenolics that can benefit human health and have a high potential as a dietary source, is a waste or by-product of carob molasses and carob syrup production. In this study, the effect of adding industrial food waste CMP to commonly consumed cake to develop inexpensive food products with increased nutritional value on the textural, physical, and sensory qualities of the cake was investigated. In this study, 5, 10, and 15% CMP were used instead of wheat flour in the cake, and its quality characteristics were investigated. Weight loss was 14.50±0.1% and volume was 101.83±0.7 dm3 for the control cake, and it was similar in all samples. Although the hardness of the CMP15 cake (480.95±94.5 g) was slightly increased (p<0.05), CMP05 and CMP10 had similar textures compared to the control cake (368.75±33.4 g). The highest color values belonged to the control cake (L*=60.68±0.71 and b*=45.79±0.47). The cake colors strongly depended on the CMP. CMP increased cocoa-like color, which was preferred and desired by some consumers. In conclusion, the utilization of CMP did not significantly change the volume, weight loss, texture, and sensorial properties of cake samples according to the control. According to the findings, up to 15% of CMP can be added to the cake recipes with high sensory acceptance, and without any decrease in quality parameters. As a result, CMP, which is thought to be extremely rich in fibers, minerals, and polyphenolics, may be very suitable as a natural additive or substitute material for many foodstuffs, such as functional foods.