www.foodtechnology.co.nz 41 What’s hot? Contact us for a range of natural chilli extracts. www.hawkinswatts.com FT041 consumers because it: • Helps to support or maintain intestinal regularity • Has a high satiating effect • Has Cholesterol lowering potentials • Helps to reduce peak postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels. With these fibre benefits in mind, this opens up opportunities for added functionality of gluten-free products. There is greater focus on gluten-free ancient grains, such as amaranth and quinoa, which are high in proteins and fibre, in alignment with current health and wellness trends. The challenge I set myself was to formulate a gluten-free biscuit targeted towards consumers with CD seeking a gluten-free, wheat-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free and low-sugar snack product, as well as appealing to individuals opting for healthier gluten free biscuits as a lifestyle choice. Having researched biscuit products currently available on the market, I decided to formulate a biscuit with simple ingredients that contained functional ingredients and exhibited sensory attributes to the gluten counterpart. With this objective in mind, it also supported the market trends of consumers heading back to pantry classics. My project led me to using goji berries (aka Lycium Barbarum) as a source of natural antioxidants, given its benefits as a super food in providing polysaccharides as a natural sweetener and zeaxanthin (a carotenoids for retinal health). Alongside antioxidants my supervisor also encouraged me to explore other functional food ingredients to be incorporated into my biscuit, such as dietary fibre, and given the abundance of knowledge and technical support provided by Hawkins Watts NZ of the many dietary fibre ingredients available such as navy beans, apple and citrus fibres, I eventually formulated with Fibersol-2®, a form of resistant maltodextrin. In formulating my biscuits I struggled to find the correct quantities for perfecting the biscuit recipe. I ran into issues where at different stages my biscuit’s taste was acceptable but was texturally unacceptable, or texturally sound but was visually unacceptable. Throughout successive prototyping in manipulating the ingredient quantities and processing techniques, I finally formulated a biscuit recipe that had met my project brief. The formulation of this biscuit led to determining the current stages of the shelf life of this product when compared to a control biscuit made without goji berries and dietary fibre, and understanding the rate of antioxidant degradation over time. Further evaluation is also required to determine the sensory attributes of this product alongside trained sensory panelists, and to then explore the packaging and labelling aspect of biscuit products. I hope to complete my research project by June. Throughout successive prototyping in manipulating the ingredient quantities and processing techniques, I finally formulated a biscuit recipe that had met my project brief.
FT-Apr16-vol51-3
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