Sensory and Nutritional Attributes of Black Bean Brownies

摘要

Legumes can replace fat in baked food products. Recent obesity epidemic justifies the focus on lower calorie baked product options. The use of black beans as fat replacer reduces total kcal, fat content, and improves nutritional quality of baked foods. Black beans were chosen due to their dark color which blends well with the color of brownies. This study aims to determine the taste, mouthfeel, aroma, appearance, overall acceptability, and nutrient composition of brownies made with black bean puree as replacement for shortening. Four variations of brownies were made at 0% (control), 30, 60, and 90% black bean puree replacement for shortening. Exactly 167 untrained panelists evaluated the brownies using a 9-point hedonic scale. Statistical Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by Bonferroni multiple comparison post hoc tests were used to analyze the data obtained from the study. One-way ANOVA revealed significant differences (p<0.05) in appearance, odor, mouthfeel, taste, and overall acceptability when shortening was replaced with black beans. Bonferroni post hoc test for all sensory attributes indicated that 30% fat replacement was not significantly different from the control. Furthermore, 30% fat replacement compared with control showed a reduction in 12 kcal and 1.5 g fat per 34 g serving. Using an acceptability level of 20 for total score, the control, 30, 60, and 90% fat replacements were rated acceptable. This study showed that pureed black beans can replace as much as 90% of the fat (by weight) in brownies, while yielding acceptable and nutrient-rich products. Black bean fat replacement would be an effective and acceptable option, especially for brownies made with black bean at 30% fat replacement.