Investigating the possibility of producing gluten-free Fooman cookies using whole oleaster powder

Background and Objective: The production of gluten-free foods is the best way to prevent the complications of celiac disease. To improve the nutritional properties and functionality of these products, foods with high levels of these properties can be used. Oleaster contains antioxidant compounds, fiber, and minerals, including high calcium. This fruit has cholesterol-lowering effects and cytotoxic effects on human cancer cells and has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.
Materials and Methods: In this study, to produce gluten-free Fooman cookies based on rice flour, Oleaster powder was used as a substitute for part of the rice flour. Five samples based on rice flour were prepared with percentages of replacing rice flour with whole Oleaster powder of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 percent. To produce gluten-free cookie samples, first the amount of rice flour and Oleaster powder were mixed with different percentages and then used in the cookie formulation to produce dough. The samples were examined for moisture, ash, protein, fat, and fiber content according to the AACC method. In addition, calcium content was measured using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, specific volume was measured using a specific volume replacement method with rapeseed, texture hardness was measured using a texture analyzer, porosity, and color indices were measured using ImageJ software. Sensory properties including taste, odor, texture, color, and overall acceptance of the samples were also evaluated and compared using a 5-point hedonic method. Data were analyzed using a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design and Duncan's multiple range comparison at a confidence level of 95% using SPSS software.
Findings: According to the results, with an increase in the percentage of replacement of whole Oleaster powder, the moisture, ash, fat, and fiber content of the cookie samples increased; however, these samples had a lower protein content. The sample containing more whole Oleaster powder had a calcium content of 0.51 mg/gr, which was almost twice as much as the control sample. Also, the cookie samples containing more whole Oleaster powder had lower porosity and specific volume, and higher texture hardness than the control sample. In terms of the color indices of the cookie crust, the Fooman cookie sample with more Oleaster powder content (20%) as a substitute for rice flour had a higher a* index and a lower b* index than the other samples; this sample also had a lower brightness (L*) than the control sample.
Conclusion: Regarding the sensory characteristics, the samples containing 5 and 10 percent whole Oleaster powder scored higher points than even the control sample, and due to the higher fiber and calcium content in the sample containing 10 percent whole Oleaster powder, this treatment was selected as the best sample.