Effects of Commercial Oat Fiber on Characteristics of Batter and Sponge Cake

Abstract

Despite the numerous health effects of the dietary fibers, the amount of the fiber in the diet is generally lower than the recommended value. Therefore, increasing the fiber content of the foods particularly those of high con sumption can compensate for the shortage of the fiber in the diet. However, it seem s a difficult task since increasing the fiber content can have adverse effects on product a cceptability. The main objective of this study was to include oat fiber in the cake recipe a nd to determine the physical and sensory properties of the resultant product. Theref ore, oat fiber at different levels of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30% (w/w, flour basis) were added i n the cake recipe. Increasing the level of oat fiber resulted in the increase in batter den sity and consistency and cake volume. In addition, cake crust and crumb became darker. Cake hardness and gumminess increased, while cohesiveness and springiness decreased as det ermined using a texture analyzer. Cakes containing no more than 20% oat fiber had acc eptable sensory characteristics. In total, it was concluded that addition of maximum 20 % oat fiber to cake can result in a product of acceptable sensory characteristics. Keywords , Dietary fiber, functional food, Physical properti es, Sensory evaluation.