Effect of substituting of cocoa powder for carob flour in cakes made with soy and banana flours.
This study evaluated the effect of replacing cocoa powder by carob flour in gluten-free cakes. Five cake formulations were prepared: standard (100% cocoa powder); T1 (25% carob flour), T2 (50% carob flour), T3 (75% carob flour) and T4 (100% carob flour). The following were analyzed: moisture, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, dietary fiber, ash and energy. The physical analysis of height and weight, pre-and post-cooking, and the heat factor were performed. The sensory analysis of color, odor, taste and texture was performed by affective test, and color was assessed using a Minolta colorimeter. The replacement of cocoa powder by carob flour gave the cakes a higher level of dietary fiber (16.42 the 2.89 g%), a lower lipid (6.89 the 5.27 g%) and carbohydrate content (20.65 the 8.42 g%), and lower calorie content (208.89 the 148.07 kcal%). The cake made with 100% carob flour was darker in color than the others. The increasing substitution of cocoa powder by carob flour resulted in decreased cohesiveness (0.51 the 0.46), elasticity (0.95 the 0.79) and resilience in the cakes (0.26 the 0.24). The cakes with greater substitution of cocoa powder were heavier in weight. With respect to sensory attributes, the cakes with replacement of up to 75% of cocoa powder by carob flour showed no significant difference. The results indicate that it is possible to prepare gluten-free cakes from soy and banana flours, using carob flour to replace cocoa powder, which are rich in protein, fiber, low in calories and with pleasant sensory characteristics for people with celiac disease.