Effect of barley β-glucan addition as a fat replacer on muffin quality

The aim of this study was to perform the partial replacement of bakery fat with barley β-glucan in muffins and to determine its effect on the physical properties of products. Most shortenings used in the industry are solid fats rich in saturated fatty acids and often trans fatty isomers, which are nutritionally unfavorable.

Dough and baked muffins were used as the research material. Five muffin recipes were prepared: control (K0%) with 16% fat content in the total dough weight, with fat content decreased by 10% (PG10%), 15% (PG15%), 20% (PG20%) and 25% (PG25%). β-glucan was used as a fat replacer in the 1:4 ratio. The parameters determining the physical characteristics and sensory attributes were measured, compared and statistically analyzed using a principal component analysis (PCA) method.

Although the partial replacement of shortening with barley β-glucan is possible, it may negatively influence the physical properties of dough (aeration) and baked products (volume, density). It has been observed that increasing the content of this fat replacer enlarges the pores of the crumb. The textural properties of muffins with a fat content decreased by 20% are most similar to the control. Moreover, it has been shown that the overall sensory quality goes down when the amount of fat replacer in the muffin recipe is increased. However, adding β-glucan to products in which fat content was decreased by 10% did not influence significantly the typical taste.

Despite the adverse effect of β-glucan on the physical and sensorial properties, it was found to be reasonable to use it even in small amounts (up to 10%) to increase the nutritional value of products.