Replacement of Rice Flour by Meat Flour Mechanically Separated from Tilapia on the Technological,Nutritional, and Sensory Quality of Salted Gluten-free Cookies

ABSTRACT

This work evaluated the technological, bacteriological, and sensorial quality of cookies produced with increasing levels (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) of mechanically separated meat flour from tilapia (MSMF) to replace rice flour (RF) in order to identify the optimal level without compromising the overall quality of the product. The cookies were analyzed for expansion index (EI), specific volume (SV), hardness, color, water activity (a_w ), coagulase-positive staphylococci, coliforms at 45°C, Salmonella spp., and sensory acceptance. The inclusion of MSMF affected (P < .05) some characteristics such as EI, SV, a_w , hardness, and color (L*, a*, b*), but all formulations met the legal bacteriological standards. Cookies with 20% substitution of RF by MSMF presented 58.82% carbohydrates, 18.53% proteins, and 11.31% lipids, and was the most accepted (P < .05); 51% of consumers rated it with a score of six or higher (above I liked slightly). It is concluded that the substitution of 20% of RF by MSMF can be used for nutritional enrichment of widely consumed conventional products.