Redesigning a biscuit formulation to eliminate sodium metabisulfite

Abstract

The investigation aimed to redesign the formulation with no trace of sodium metabisulfite (SMBS), sustained product quality, safety, and extended shelf life. The effects of optimized combination of 180 ml papain, 7 g ascorbic acid, and 780 s mixing time on dough rheology and physical, biochemical, sensory properties of redesigned biscuits were researched. Structural analysis of gluten network verified the potential of the above-mentioned combination of SMBS substituents. This formulation had promising results of every aspect (vide supra) of biscuits with 8.50 average sensory scores which was further validated by fuzzy logic analysis. Redesigning exhibited safe limit of acrylamide content (0.23 mg/kg) with a lead of 300 days in shelf life to be “best shelf-stable” by eliminating soapy odor and color variation of biscuits with time. The electronic nose analyses coupled with principal component analysis successfully validated the shelf life of biscuits by recognizing the soapy odor of the same using screened sensors (TGS 2620, TGS 2600). Novelty impact statement In the industry, sodium metabisulfite (SMBS) offers drastic effects on health as well as quality of the product with time in contrast to its potential functional benefits. This study aimed to replace SMBS completely with appropriate substituents which mimic the functions of SMBS in biscuit formulation, sustain its sensorial acceptability and also aimed to explore the usage of SMBS substituents for the enhancement of shelf life with assurance of quality, safety, and industrial benefits related to the products. Moreover, this study also provides a rapid, precise, cost-effective, state-of-the-art, and non-invasive method by introducing electronic nose with screened metal oxide sensors which assess the odor of these redesigned biscuits for assisting the aim of the investigation as well as for meeting the reliability of the consumers.