The effects of Whey protein concentrate on improvement of sensory, textural and colorimetric properties of gluten-free muffin

According to the notable number of people with autoimmune celiac disease, the importance of various studies on production of favorable products for celiac-affected people looks stronger. Because of the fundamental role of gluten in forming of a firm and coherent structure in flour-based products and providing assistance to production of non-flat products using flours containing gluten, removal of this valuable nutrient continues to be remained as a major problem in the food industry and production of gluten-free products. In this study, we aimed to study the effects of whey protein concentrate at concentrations of 0, 1.5 and 3 percent based on dry weight of muffins and choose the optimal range of this compound in order to produce non-flat product with desirable sensory and textural properties.According to results of previous researches, whey protein concentrate can reinforce textural properties by effecting on creation of proper texture structure. According to our results, consumption of whey protein concentrate up to 1.5% based on the dry weight of the formulation, can significantly increase the quality of the final product due to its effect on creation of proper structure. By studying the effect of whey protein concentrate on sensory and textural properties of the product, the treatment containing 1.5% of protein had the highest sensory acceptance and could show an acceptable improvement in textural properties compared to control sample. The highest level of firmness with the lowest sensory score belonged to treatment 3 with 3% WPC, which had the darkest. Based on sensory and instrumental evaluation of final product color, it determined that consumption of whey protein concentrate significantly reduced L *, but did not result in a significant change in a * and b * parameters.