RESEARCH REGARDING CHOCOLATE BAR ENRICHED DEVELOPMENT WITH SOUS-VIDE TREATED AMARANTH SEEDS

Abstract

The idea of using amaranth seeds as part of a functional food is not new. Numerous studies on the quality of pseudocereals share a common element: the concept of a health-beneficial food. The aim of this study was to develop four types of chocolate bars that were enriched with amaranth seeds, which had been pre-treated with the sous-vide method. The percentage values of the amounts of amaranth seeds varied to be evaluated both sensorially and physico-chemically. Another focus of this study was to examine the effect of adding sous-vide treated amaranth seeds to dark chocolate in terms of nutritional and sensory properties. The results highlighted major differences between the samples, both in terms of texture and physico-chemical properties. The samples were made using 100% cocoa dark chocolate and amaranth seeds that were thermally treated at 85°C for 180 minutes, using a hydration ratio of 1/6, where 1 represents the amount of amaranth (10g) and 6 represents the amount of water in which the amaranth seeds were hydrated during the sous-vide treatment (60ml). All four samples with 5%, 10%, 20%, and 50% amaranth seeds were stored at 4°C during the determinations, along with the control sample, which was represented by the dark chocolate without the addition of sous-vide treated amaranth seeds.