Optimization of fortified sponge cake by nettle leaves and milk thistle seed powder using mixture design approach

Powdered nettle leaf and milk thistle (MT) seed were added to the cake batter with certain percentages selected by the Design-Expert v. 10 software (0-25, 25-0, 18.75-6.25, 6.25-18.75, and 12.5-12.5). Addition of nettle and MT seeds to the cake reduced the moisture content, volume, and springiness and increased hardness of the samples. 12.5% nettle-12.5% MT seed had the least hardness and the highest amount of springiness and cohesiveness. The highest BI, WI, SI, L*, a*, and b* and the lowest ΔE were observed in 12.5% nettle-12.5% MT seed and 25% MT seed samples, respectively. Antioxidant activity and antimicrobial properties were increased in all samples compared to the control sample, so that 6.25% nettle-18.75% MT exhibited the highest antioxidant activity and antimicrobial properties. The highest levels of quercetin and silymarin were observed in 25% nettle and 25% MT seeds, respectively. In the sensory evaluation, 12.5% nettle-12.5% MT seed took the best scores regarding flavor, texture, color, and overall acceptance. Based on the lowest hardness, 13.65% nettle-11.34% MT seed was determined as optimized points by the software, which was equivalent to desirability of 0.72. The optimum sample contained 62.90 mg quercetin and 886.70 mg silymarin. According to the HPLC analysis results, consumption of 10 optimal cakes daily could theoretically decrease the blood sugar level, which requires further studies. The remaining amount of quercetin and silymarin in 2.5 g of nettle leaves and 2.5 g of MT seeds after heating was 11 and 19 mg, respectively. In other words, heat did not have much effect on the destruction of quercetin and silymarin.