Microstructural, physicochemical, antioxidant, textural and quality characteristics of wheat muffins as influenced by partial replacement with ground flaxseed

This study investigated the effects of flaxseed powder (FP) on muffin quality parameters by the progressive replacement of wheat flour (WF) in the muffin formulation with FP from three different flaxseed cultivars. The antioxidant potential, physicochemical, microstructural and textural properties of muffins and the pasting properties of the flour blends were analysed. Addition of increasing amount of FP in the blends improved the nutritional characteristics but decreased the muffin volume; the muffin crumb color became darker and hardened in texture. The pasting characteristics of wheat flour was influenced by FP incorporation with a decrease in peak, final and setback viscosity values with increasing amount of FP addition being observed. Flaxseed was found to be rich in antioxidant potential as evident from its high DPPH scavenging activity, total phenolic content and reducing power in comparison to WF. The microstructure of muffin crumb showed that degree of disruption of protein matrix increased with an increase in the level of FP. Among different cultivars, “LC-2023” cv. exhibited the highest sensory scores and can be recommended as potential cultivar for its health benefits. Supplementation of wheat muffins with 10% FP is a successful approach to enrich it with nutrients and increase its antioxidant potential.