Antioxidant activity and quality characteristics of pine needle cookies

Abstract

Pine needle powder has medical and functional uses. In this study, cookies were prepared using different 0.5%,1%, 3%, 5% of pine needle powder. The total phenolic content was measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH assay. The antioxidant activity was highly correlated with the total phenolic composition of pine needle cookies (r=0.989). In addition, the quality characteristics of the pine needle cookies were estimated based on the bulk density and pH of the dough, spread factor, loss rate, leavening rate, color, texture profile analysis, and sensory evaluations. The bulk density of the dough and the hardness, total polyphenol contents and DPPH free radical scavenging activity of cookies significantly increased with increasing pine needle powder, while the pH of the dough, spread factor and L values of the cookies decreased with increasing pine needle powder content (p<0.05). Additionally, the consumer acceptability scores for the 3% pine needle cookie groups ranked significantly (p<0.05) higher than those of the other groups in appearance, taste, flavor, texture and overall preference. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that pine needle powder is a good ingredient for increasing the consumer acceptability and the functionality of cookies.