Abstract:
Ceylon cinnamon is commonly used as a natural flavoring agent due to the presence
of cinnamaldehyde and its associated health benefits. A study was conducted to
evaluate the suitability of applying cinnamon oil and oleoresins to enhance the overall
quality of desiccated coconut-incorporated cookies. Initially, the optimum
concentrations of cinnamon oil and oleoresin for the product formulations were
determined through a sensory evaluation (n=30; untrained panelist), with an ideal
concentration found to be 0.1% (w/w) and 0.5% (w/w) respectively. Afterwards, the
key parameters such as fat, ash, protein content, acidity of extracted fat, acid insoluble ash content, moisture content, total polyphenol contents, and keeping
quality [based on total plate (TP), and yeast and mold (YM) counts] for three
treatments: cookies with cinnamon oil (T1), cinnamon oleoresin (T2), and untreated
control sample without cinnamon flavor (T3), were assessed. The highest fat
(33.68±0.18%) content was obtained in T1. The ash content (5.75±0.54%) was higher
in T3 than the other two cookies. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in
protein content (12.04±0.01%) among three cookies. The acidity of extracted fat
(<1%), acid-insoluble ash (<0.05%) and moisture content (<6.00%) were within the
permissible levels in both T1 and T2. The total polyphenol content of T1 (4.36±0.00
mg GAE g-1) and T2 (4.00±0.01 mg GAE g-1) were noticeably increased compared to
the control (2.84±0.00 mg GAE g-1). The TP and YM counts of T1 and T2 were also
found within the acceptable range (<2×104and <2×103 CFU g-1respectively)
throughout the three-month storage period compared to the control, which exceeded
the acceptable range. In conclusion, based on the consumer preference results from
the duo test, along with the preservation effect and color of the cookie, the application
of cinnamon oleoresins as the flavoring agent is the most effective method to enhance
the overall quality.
