This study aimed to evaluate the quality characteristics, antioxidant activities, and sensory attributes of madeleines and morning bread prepared with quinoa powder to explore the potential of quinoa as a functional ingredient for confectionery and b...
This study aimed to evaluate the quality characteristics, antioxidant activities, and sensory attributes of madeleines and morning bread prepared with quinoa powder to explore the potential of quinoa as a functional ingredient for confectionery and bakery products. The results are as follows.
1. Madeleine added with quinoa powder
Madeleines were prepared by partially replacing wheat flour with quinoa powder at levels of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. As the level of quinoa powder increased, the moisture contents of the madeleines significantly decreased. The specific gravity and pH of the batter increased with increasing amounts of quinoa powder. The Hunter L and b values of the madeleines decreased, while the a value increased as the quinoa powder content increased. With increasing levels of quinoa powder, hardness and springiness decreased, whereas adhesiveness increased, while gumminess and cohesiveness showed no significant differences among samples. Total polyphenol content, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and ABTS radical scavenging activity significantly increased with increasing levels of quinoa powder. In sensory evaluation, madeleines containing 25% and 50% quinoa powder showed higher preference scores in color, taste, texture, and overall acceptability compared to the control and higher replacement groups. These results suggest that quinoa powder can be effectively used as a functional ingredient to partially replace wheat flour in madeleine production, with 25–50% replacement levels being the most appropriate. Therefore, the madeleine containing 50% quinoa powder was considered the most suitable, as it maintained the quality stability of the conventional madeleine while improving antioxidant activity.
2. Morning bread added with quinoa powder
Morning bread prepared with varying levels (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20%) of quinoa powder as a partial substitute for wheat flour. As the concentration of quinoa powder increased, the height, volume, and specific volume of the bread significantly decreased, which can be attributed to reduced gas retention capacity caused by gluten dilution. Conversely, moisture content increased, while pH decreased. Regarding color, the lightness of the crust decreased, whereas redness and yellowness increased. Microstructural observations revealed that the crumb became denser with increasing quinoa content. In textural analysis, hardness significantly decreased, while other parameters showed no significant differences among samples. Antioxidant activity, including total polyphenol content and DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities, significantly increased as the addition level increased, confirming that quinoa powder enhances the functional value of the bread. In sensory evaluation, the 10% quinoa powder group(QMB 10) received the highest scores for appearance, flavor, taste, and overall acceptability. Flavor was particularly well accepted in the 10–15% groups. However, the acceptability of texture and taste declined at higher substitution levels, indicating that excessive addition may negatively affect sensory quality. Collectively, these results suggest that quinoa powder is a promising functional ingredient for improving the antioxidant and nutritional properties of morning bread. Considering both physical quality and sensory acceptability, a substitution level of approximately 10% is recommended as optimal.