Cocoa fibre and its application as a fat replacer in chocolate muffins

A study was made of the texture, composition, appearance, colour and descriptive sensory analysis of low-fat chocolate muffins in which part of the oil ingredient (25%, 50% and 75%) had been replaced by soluble cocoa fibre and full-fat (no fat replacement) control sample to which cocoa powder had been added for comparison purposes. The rheology of the batter was studied with a rheometer. The height of the baked product fell as the fat replacement percentage rose, but no weight loss differences were observed after 1-h cooling. The texture of the fat replacement muffins showed lower values for hardness, chewiness and resilience than those of the control sample and retained greater moisture. The chocolate colour of samples with the highest level of fat replacement was scored similar to the full-fat control formulation indicating a good colour development without adding cocoa powder. The sponginess and springiness of the samples with the lowest fat replacement were scored similar to the full-fat control formulation. In general, muffins containing cocoa fibre were increasingly more cohesive and more difficult to chew and swallow when higher level of cocoa fibre was added. A certain degree of stickiness and a bitter taste different from that of cocoa were found.