Physicochemical and sensory characteristics of sponge cakessupplemented with black tea powder

Abstract

Black tea is rich in phenolic antioxidants that has shown diverse health benefits such as protection against cardiovasculardiseases and cancers. Thus, it is rational to incorporate black tea into suitable food products such as sponge cakes to enhance their nutritional and functional qualities. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the addition of black tea powder (BTP) on the quality of sponge cake. The pH of cakes ranged from 7.00~7.17, with no remarkable differences. Height decreased while baking loss rate and hardness significantly increased with increases in the content of BTP in the formulation (p<0.05). For crumb color values, L*-value decreased while a* and b*-values increased as a result of BTP substitution. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis-3- ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activities were significantly increased (p<0.05) with increases in the content of BTP which were well correlated. Hedonic sensory results indicated that sponge cakes supplemented with 2~4% BTP obtained the most favorable acceptance scores. On the basis of the overall observations, sponge cakes supplemented with 2~4% BTP were found to be benefit from the functional properties of BTP, without compromising on consumer acceptance.