Effect of the Addition of Different Dietary Fiber and Edible Cereal Bran Sources on the Baking and Sensory Characteristics of Cupcakes

The effect of successively replacing (10%, 20%, and 30%) wheat flour with dietary fiber (DF) from wheat, oat, barley, and maize or cereal bran (CB) from wheat, oat, and rice on cake batter, final cake quality parameters, as well as on product shelf-life was studied. Batter viscosity (control, 2.96; wheat fiber 30%, 20.21; rice bran 10%, 0.47 Pa sn), cake-specific volume (control, 2.27; wheat fiber 20%, 2.83; rice bran 30%, 1.94 cm3/g), porosity (control, 0.75; wheat fiber 30%, 0.81; rice bran 30%, 0.69), and crumb moisture content (control, 20.07%,; wheat fiber 30%, 26.45%; oat bran 30%, 13.89%) increased significantly (P < 0.05) with DF addition but decreased with CB addition. Addition of DF resulted in softer crumb texture (Control, 4.20 N; wheat fiber 20%, 3.19 N), while CB addition increased crumb firmness (rice bran 30%, 10.84 N), respectively. Minor differences were observed in the crumb and crust color of the DF cakes with respect to the control. Addition of CB decreased the L values of crumb color significantly and the decrease increased with increased level of CB incorporation. DF addition led to cakes with greater acceptance by panelists than CB addition, similar to the control. DF cakes stored in polyethylene bags at 25 °C and 60% relative humidity for 6 days showed delayed moisture loss and lower firmness compared to CB cakes. The optimal level of incorporation based both on the objective and sensory characteristics results was found 20% for DF and 10% for CB, respectively. Concluding, by incorporating DF or CB properly, cakes with improved nutritional value can be manufactured.