The Sensory and Textural Evaluation of a St. Louis Style Butter Cake made with Greek Yogurt as a Fat Replacer
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Dietetics
Minor
None
Institution
Murray State University
KY House District #
5
KY Senate District #
1
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Ms. Jessica Paine, RDN, LD, M.S.
Department
Applied Health Sciences
Abstract
In modern America, many nutrition-related health issues are on the rise, including diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Many nutrition professionals link the rise in these three diseases to the Western Diet, which includes a high fat and sugar content within its foods. Due to the increased consumption of this diet high in sugar and fat, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes rates seem to be rising. However, many people who eat this diet and are at risk for these complications, hesitate to change their diet because they feel that healthier alternatives are bland in flavor or have a repugnant taste when compared to the foods they normally consume.
The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the sensory and textural differences of a St. Louis-Style butter cake made with Greek yogurt as a fat replacer for cream cheese in a traditional butter cake recipe. Viscosity of the respective batters was measured and the moisture content and tenderness of the finished products were assessed. In addition, the consumer acceptability and sweetness of the cakes were evaluated by a consumer tasting panel. The hypothesis was that the batter of the modified recipe would have a thinner consistency than the control recipe causing the modified cake/recipe to be moister and more tender than the control. It was hypothesized that as a result of the improvements in tenderness, the modified cake would have higher acceptability among consumers than the control recipe.
The Sensory and Textural Evaluation of a St. Louis Style Butter Cake made with Greek Yogurt as a Fat Replacer
In modern America, many nutrition-related health issues are on the rise, including diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Many nutrition professionals link the rise in these three diseases to the Western Diet, which includes a high fat and sugar content within its foods. Due to the increased consumption of this diet high in sugar and fat, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes rates seem to be rising. However, many people who eat this diet and are at risk for these complications, hesitate to change their diet because they feel that healthier alternatives are bland in flavor or have a repugnant taste when compared to the foods they normally consume.
The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the sensory and textural differences of a St. Louis-Style butter cake made with Greek yogurt as a fat replacer for cream cheese in a traditional butter cake recipe. Viscosity of the respective batters was measured and the moisture content and tenderness of the finished products were assessed. In addition, the consumer acceptability and sweetness of the cakes were evaluated by a consumer tasting panel. The hypothesis was that the batter of the modified recipe would have a thinner consistency than the control recipe causing the modified cake/recipe to be moister and more tender than the control. It was hypothesized that as a result of the improvements in tenderness, the modified cake would have higher acceptability among consumers than the control recipe.