Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

College/School

College for Community Health

Department/Program

Nutrition and Food Studies

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Adrian Kerrihard

Committee Member

Charles Feldman

Committee Member

John Specchio

Abstract

A growing interest in functional and gluten-free products has been seen due to possible health benefits for consumers. Antioxidants inclusion can play a pivotal role in not only nutritionally providing benefits within bakery products but also help consumers in potentially mitigating oxidative stress. PURPOSE: To investigate ingredient interactions between antioxidant-rich ingredients, functional and composite flours towards antioxidant potential of the bakery products after thermal degradation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three antioxidant potent ingredients (cocoa, garlic powder and blueberries) were utilized with a combination of gluten-free and composite flours (brown rice, sorghum, whole wheat and cassava) to develop brownies, garlic and blueberry bread samples. Additionally, tapioca starch was used as a stabilizer in gluten-free goods. The samples were baked at 375 F for 35 mins before being lyophilized. Lyophilized samples were extracted for phenolics, and the extracts were assessed using Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) assay for antioxidant potential assessment. One way ANOVA with Tukey’s test was performed to determine significant differences among Trolox levels for baked samples. A Chi-square test was used to determine agreement between expected and observed values for gluten-free products. Finally, a regression analysis was performed to model the relationship between fruit puree and antioxidant potential levels. RESULTS: Highest antioxidant potential was observed in Sorghum based brownies (SFB) (9.500 ± 0.122 mmol TE/100 ml wet weight p < 0.05) followed by brown rice flour brownies (BRFB) (6.964 ± 0.224 mmol TE/100 ml wet weight). Garlic bread samples also witnessed enhanced antioxidant potential with sorghum flour and garlic combinations but could not establish statistical significance. A paired t-test confirmed synergistic effects in sorghum, brown rice brownies and brown rice and sorghum-tapioca garlic breads. Tapioca starch showed a dilution effect by diminishing TEAC values. A strong correlation between blueberry puree and TEAC values was demonstrated (R2 = 0.651, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest enhanced antioxidant potential by blending antioxidant-rich ingredients with gluten-free and functional flours. This indicates better ingredient interactions implicating nutritional and functional bakery products with cleaner labels to the baking industry if emphasized on also comprehending the role of yeast, sugars and fats role towards its antioxidant capacity. Additionally, sensory evaluation and in-vivo studies might be required to evaluate the sensory attributes and bioavailability of bioactive compounds for consumer marketability.

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