Impact of Defatted Sesame Meal on the Technological and Sensory Quality and Antioxidant Activity of Gluten-free Buckwheat Crackers

Özet

Currently, a gluten-free diet is the sole successful remedy for celiac disease. However, it is difficult for celiac patients to access commercially functional gluten-free foods. Defatted sesame meal as a by-product of the cold-pressed sesame oil production process is a good option to enrich gluten-free crackers because of its rich protein and fiber content. In the present study, defatted sesame meal was used to develop gluten-free cracker formulations. Gluten-free flour blend containing buckwheat flour:corn starch (7:3, w/w) was substituted with defatted sesame meal at 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% levels. The effect of defatted sesame meal on the technological properties, antioxidant activity and sensory quality of gluten-free cracker samples were evaluated. The moisture contents of gluten-free buckwheat crackers containing 5, 10 and 15% defatted sesame meal were close to the control (0% sesame meal). The inclusion of sesame meal did not show adversely influence on the diameter and thickness values of buckwheat crackers. Compared to the control, samples made from 10 and 15% sesame meal exhibited higher spread ratio values. Samples with sesame meal exhibited a significantly (p<0.05) increased total phenolic content relative to the control. Moreover, crackers prepared from 15% (2.82 µmol TE/g) and 20% (2.90 µmol TE/g) sesame meal showed strong antioxidant properties. Sensory evaluation showed that high levels of sesame meal improved the appearance of crackers compared to the control. The incorporation of sesame meal up to 15% gave comparable overall acceptability to the control. The data revealed that defatted sesame meal (up to 15%) is a good alternative to improve the antioxidant capacity of gluten-free crackers with acceptable technological and sensory quality.