Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Family and Consumer Sciences

First Advisor

Ibrahim, Salam A. Dr.

Abstract

Omega-3 fatty acid (fish-oil) has gained attention as a functional food, and it is one of the best supplements used by several researchers to improve the nutritional value of different food products such as yogurt. The study was conducted to determine the effect of fish-oil emulsion on the physical attributes of shortened cupcake (control cake and five treatments) with different whey protein isolate concentrations. Emulsion concentration in each treatment included (1) 250mg Fish-oil + 0.5% Xanthan gum, (2) 250mg Fish-oil + 5% WPI, (3) 250mg Fish-oil +10% WPI, (4) 250mg Fish-oil + 0.5% Xanthan-gum + 5% WPI, and (5) 250mg Fish-oil + 0.5% Xanthan-gum + 10% WPI. Ninety untrained panelists at NC A&T participated in the study. A nine-point hedonic rating scale system was used for the evaluation. Sensory attributes evaluated included appearance, crust color, taste and texture, and consumer overall liking. Results of the study revealed the following: (a) no significant differences were found in consumer overall liking between the control and the treatment 2, and between the control and treatment 5; therefore, it can be concluded that cake is a good medium for omega-3 fish oil; (b) significant differences were found in consumer overall liking between the control and the remaining three other treatments; and (c) a significant difference was found between the storage days in the control cake; however, no significant differences were found between the storage days in treatments 2, 3, 4, and 5; therefore, it can be concluded that with the emulsion in the treatment cake storage life can be extended and still maintain quality. Overall, when considering the health benefits of omega-3 fish oil, this study revealed that cake supplemented with omega-3 fish oil maintains attributes desired by consumers and may provide a useful approach to improve nutritional intake.

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