ABSTRACT
The effects of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) tea on the quality
characteristics of chiffon cakes were studied. The viscosity and specific gravity in cake batter, and total dietary fiber, GABA, catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate contents, hardness, and crumb a value of baked cakes increased with increasing GABA tea level; whereas, the pH and moisture in cake batter, and the moisture, water activity, cake volume, crust L, a, b and crumb L, b values of baked cakes showed a reverse trend. As derived from descriptive analysis, the crust and crumb of cakes became darker, drier, and had a tougher texture as GABA tea level increased and cake flour decreased, but the GABA cake had a pleasant tea flavor. The degree of overall liking of cakes decreased with increasing GABA tea level. However, chiffon cake formulated with partial replacement of cake flour with GABA tea and water had better results in the degree of overall liking compared with cake prepared with 100% cake flour, and the moistness and tenderness improved. In the storage tests for GABA cake samples stored at 25°C for three days, the total plate counts (TPC) of GABA cake were fewer than those of the control. For samples stored at 5°C for seven days, TPC were < 2 × 102 CFU/g. All samples exhibited negative coliforms. The hardness of samples significantly increased during storage. The changes in the moisture content, water activity, Hunter L, a, b values, total dietary fiber, GABA, and six catechins contents of the samples were not significantly different during storage. Tenderness of samples significantly decreased, while the other sensory characteristics showed no difference during storage. Degree of overall liking of the samples decreased significantly during storage.
