Valorizing date seeds through ultrasonication to enhance quality attributes of dough and biscuit, Part-1: Effects on dough rheology and physical properties of biscuits

In the present study, non-conventional and green technology (ultrasonication) was utilized to recover bioactive compounds from the small, medium and large sized defatted date seed powder (DDSP) particles. Bioactive compounds recovered from DDSP and the remaining fiber-rich residue were incorporated as functional ingredient in the biscuit dough to enhance the functionality and the quality characteristics of the dough and biscuit. The polyphenolic extract and 2.5 %, 5 % and 7.5 % substitution levels of fiber-rich extraction residue were incorporated in formulations followed by investigating the effect on rheological, physical and microstructural properties of dough and biscuit. Loss and storage moduli, G'' and G', respectively, of dough increased with decreasing particle size and increasing substitution level while tan δ decreased with increasing substitution level of fiber-rich extraction residue. The smallest particles at 7.5 % substitution level resulted in the lowest creep strain value in dough. Hardness of the dough and biscuit increased with decreasing particle size and increasing substitution level of the residue. The 7.5 % substitution level of the smallest particle size resulted in the darkest dough and biscuit. Spread ratio and diameter of the biscuit decreased with increasing substitution level of the residue. The smallest diameter of 50.61 mm and spread ratio of 8.36 was observed in the biscuits substituted with the largest particle size with 7.5 % substitution level. Microstructural images of dough and biscuit revealed that the continuity of the gluten network was disrupted by the incorporation of the fiber-rich extraction residue. This study provided valuable insights into extracting bioactive components from date by-products using green ultrasonication technique and utilizing such compounds to improve functional attributes of bakery products, as a sustainable approach for valorizing date by-products.