Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies Behzad Alavi Angela Gomez Tallene Hacatoryan Belen Rediet Janet Solis NTRS 410- Experimental Foods California State University Los Angeles Spring 2015
Gluten-Free Background An autoimmune disorder called celiac disease is the result of being gluten intolerant. Gluten-free products are on high demand and continue to increase throughout the years. Developing these products can be challenging due to the extraction of the gluten, which results in products with low quality, and poor mouthfeel
Purpose/Objective Objective: assess the color and sensory characteristics of gluten-free cookies Control cookies were made with all-purpose flour Variants were made in ratios of 40% almond flour with 60% coconut flour with 100 grams of water added and a second ratio of 80% almond flour with 20% coconut flour Purpose To create a gluten free product that would not be significantly different from the control made from all purpose flour by analyzing data collected from sensory and color tests.
Previous Research - Gomez and others (2007) - addition of chickpea flour to cakes affected quality by lowering volume, increasing color, and increasing firmness - Pasqualone and others (2008) - addition of cassava flour to gluten free bread made it dark, stiff, and unappealing, however, adding olive oil & egg whites improved color and texture - Torbica and others (2012) - addition of buckwheat flour increased lightness (L*), redness (a*) and yellowness(b*) more than rice and corn flour - Yamsengsung and others (2012) - adding chickpea flour to whole wheat cookies increased lightness (L*) and increased yellowness (b*)
Previous Research - Bhaduri (2013) - substituting rice flour with quinoa flour increased yellowness (b*) and had a lower consumer acceptability rating because of the bitterness - Kaur and others (2014) - overall acceptability of wheat flour was greater than amaranth flour as well as buckwheat flour - Altindag and others (2014) - transglutimase, an enzyme, was examined for its overall effect on texture in gluten free cookies, which increased moisture content, hardness, and fracturability - Inglett and others (2015) - studied amaranth- oat mixes and their effect when added to cookies, however, no significant differences were detected after conducting a 9 point hedonic scale test
Methods Variants - 40% Almond Flour and 60% Coconut Flour + 100g H2O - 80% Almond Flour and 20% Coconut Flour +
Equipment Used
Our Sugar Cookies Control 40% Almond/ 60% Coconut + 100g H2O (V1) 80% Almond/ 20% Coconut (V2)
Results: Means +/- Standard Deviations (SD) of Sugar Cookies Results for Consumer Acceptance Treatment Hedonic Score Color (L*) Color (a*) Color (b*) Control (All-purpose Flour) 7.17 ± 1.55a 72.3 ± 1.69a - 0.57 ± 0.03a 20.0 ± 1.95a Variant 1 (40% Almond Flour / 60% Coconut Flour + 100g H2O) 6 ± 2.15b 75.4 +/- 0.79b 3.01 ± 0.53b 26.23 ± 1.63b Variant 2 (80% Almond Flour/ 20% Coconut Flour) 5.80 ± 2.21b 75.2 ± 1.20ab 1.26 ± 1.56ab 24.4 ± 2.21ab 1 Means±SD of 2 replicates; 12 judges per variant within replicate one and 12 judges per variant within replicate two. 2 Means±SD of 2 replicants; 2 readings per variant within each replicant. ab Means within the same column with the same letter are not significantly different (p>0.05).
Results : Sensory - Variant 1 vs Variant 2 - no significant difference - Control vs Variant 2 - significant difference - Control vs Variant 1 - significant difference Treatment Hedonic Score Control All-Purpose Flour 7.17 ± 1.55a Variant 1 40% Almond Flour /60% Coconut Flour + 100g H2O 6 ± 2.15b Variant 2 80% Almond Flour/ 20% Coconut Flour 5.80 ± 2.21b
Discussion: Sensory Pasqualone and others (2008) Cassava bread acceptability egg white & olive oil (3.39) vs no egg white & olive oil (2.24) Yamsaengsung and others (2012) Chickpea flour in cookies acceptability no chickpea flour (5.36) vs 100% chickpea flour (3.22) Kaur and others (2014) Buckwheat flour in baked biscuits acceptability wheat flour 7.25 vs buckwheat flour 5.75
Results: Color (L* values) - Variant 1 vs Variant 2 - no significant difference - Control vs Variant 1 - significant difference - Control vs Variant 2 - no significant difference Treatment Color (L*) Control All-Purpose Flour 72.3 ± 1.69a Variant 1 40% Almond Flour /60% Coconut Flour + 100g H2O 75.4 ± 0.79b Variant 2 80% Almond Flour/ 20% Coconut Flour 75.2 ± 1.20ab
Results: Color (a* values) - Variant 1 vs Variant 2 - no significant difference - Control vs Variant 1 - significant difference - Control vs Variant 2 - no significant difference Treatment Color (a*) Control All-Purpose Flour - 0.57 ± 0.03a Variant 1 40% Almond Flour /60% Coconut Flour + 100g H2O 3.01 ± 0.53b Variant 2 80% Almond Flour/ 20% Coconut Flour 1.26 ± 1.56ab
Results: Color (b* values) - Variant 1 vs Variant 2 - no significant difference - Control vs Variant 1 - significant difference - Control vs Variant 2 - no significant difference Treatment Color (b*) Control All-Purpose Flour 20.0 ± 1.95a Variant 1 40% Almond Flour /60% Coconut Flour + 100g H2O 26.23 ± 1.63b Variant 2 80% Almond Flour/ 20% Coconut Flour 24.4 ± 2.21ab
Discussion: Color Values Torbica and others (2012) variations of rice flour and buckwheat flour to wheat flour L* value: increased with the addition of buckwheat flour a* and b* values: no significant difference between wheat flour and gluten free flours Inglett and others (2015) cookies made from amaranth flour vs whole wheat L* value had no significant difference a* value: whole wheat (14.37) vs amaranth cookies (13.73) b* value: whole wheat (33.86) vs amaranth cookies (30.29) Bhaduri and others (2013) gluten-free muffins using rice flour Varying blends of wheat flour, rice, flour and quinoa flour L* value: 100% rice flour (74.68) vs 100% wheat flour (50.35) a* value: 100% wheat flour (9.03) vs 100% rice flour (3.06) b* value: 100% 50% rice flour+50% quinoa flour (36.87)vs wheat flour (24.81)
Nutrition Facts Product (g/serving) Calories (kcal) Total Fat (g) Total Carb (g) Fiber (g) Sugars (g) Protein (g) Control All- Purpose Flour (30g) 130 6 18 0 10 1 Variant 1 40% Almond Flour /60% Coconut Flour + 100g H2O (30g) 130 8 12 2 9 2 Variant 2 80% Almond Flour/ 20% Coconut Flour (30g) 150 11 12 2 10 3
Conclusion Both our color and sensory measurements recommend the ratio of 40% almond flour and 60% coconut flour with the addition of 100g H2O as an acceptable replacement for all-purpose flour in sugar cookies but the ratio of 80% almond flour and 20% coconut flour is not an acceptable replacement
Future Work Some changes can be made: Increasing the number of untrained panelists and participants with more professional backgrounds Conducting more studies on gluten free desserts with different flours or different ratios, due to a high demand of gluten free products