Effect of pumpkin seed powder on the properties of cake batter prepared with whole wheat flour

Abstract

Nutrition plays a crucial role in overall health. Recently, different fruit and vegetable seeds have been incorporated into various food products to increase their nutritional values. Due to its higher nutritional content, the research community has recently explored pumpkin seed powder (PSP) as an ingredient in different bakery products. In the current study the batter composition prepared by whole wheat flour at varying PSP concentrations (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% w/w) has been studied. The obtained results from the current study suggested that incorporating PSP significantly alters the color, texture, and microstructure of the prepared batter samples. Also, the water retention and air incorporation capacity of the batter samples showed a significant increase after the PSP incorporation. From the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate scavenging assay, the antioxidant properties of the prepared batter samples were analyzed. The results suggested an increased antioxidant activity after PSP addition. Though PSP adds to the nutritional value, adding PSP greater than 10% adversely affects the texture of the batters. With 10% of PSP replacement the prepared batter showed a balanced textural property in our study.