Microbiological and physicochemical stability of gluten-free cake mixtures and quality of ready cakes for consumption

The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological and physicochemical stability of mixtures for gluten-free cake, stored for 240 days, as well as, the quality of their baked cakes. The gluten-free formulations contain flour of broken rice (FAC) and extruded broken beans (FFE) in total replacement of wheat flour, which were prepared with 45% and 75% of FFE. The flours and mixtures for cakes (MB) were analyzed for the levels of moisture, water activity, pH, acidity, color and microbiological quality, according to standard techniques. The baked cakes were evaluated for the sensory analyzes, specific volume, texture, beyond the color and microbiological quality. The results were submitted to the analysis of variance and variance components, Duncan’s multiple test for means comparison (probability of 5%), Pearson’s correlation and when possible, analysis of regression. The gluten-free MB showed good stability during storage, without significant variation in moisture content (maximum variation of 0.7%) and water activity always remained below 0.6, optimal value for preventing microbial growth. The color of the mixtures for gluten-free cake had no influence of time, reflecting on practice in longer color stability of the final products. As for baked cakes, the one with 75% of FFE is highlighted by the mean percentage increase of up to 25.75% of the specific volume. However, all cakes were accepted (scores > 6) for all attributes analyzed during the storage period of the mixtures. The flours and cake mixtures can be stored for up to eight months at room temperature without undergoing microbiological and physicochemical changes that affect the quality of the products, including technological and sensory characteristics of the cakes.

Oryza sativa ; Phaseolus vulgaris ; Storage; Celiac disease; Broken rice flour; Broken bean extruded flour