Quality evaluation of macaroons added with moringa leaf (Moringa oleifera Lam.) and green tea powder

Abstract

The quality characteristics and antioxidant activities of macaroons added with 5% and 7.5% of moringa leaf and green tea powder were evaluated. Moringa macaroons were more bright and yellow-reddish than green tea macaroons that showed a strong green color. The spread factor of macaroons decreased significantly with the increasing powder content. The fracturability and cohesiveness increased in the macaroons added with powder whereas the hardness decreased. The total phenolics (TPC) and total flavonoid contents (TFC) of macaroons with green tea were significantly higher than those of macaroons with moringa, resulting in higher DPPH radical scavenging capacity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (p<0.05); these values increased with increasing moringa leaf or green tea powder content (p<0.05). Antioxidant activity has a higher correlation with TFC than TPC. The sensory intensities of greenness, grass flavor, green taste and chewiness were higher in macaroons with green tea than in macaroon with moringa. The sensory taste, aroma, and texture properties were better, and the overall acceptability was higher in macaroons added with green tea than that with moringa. In this study, green tea was found to be an excellent ingredient for manufacture of macaroons with sensory preference as functional dessert bakery products with high antioxidant power.