Physicochemical properties and quality characteristics of biscuits with different bigel-based shortening substitution levels

Abstract Growing health concerns regarding saturated fatty acids amid market expansion are driving the food industry to develop novel solid fat-free alternatives. Novel biscuits were developed based on various substitution percentages (0% (WAL biscuits), 50% (MIX biscuits), and 100% (CHESS biscuits)) of bigel for the shortening, and their quality characteristics were systematically evaluated. The results indicated that partial replacement of shortening with bigels exhibited positive effect on the quality properties of biscuits. Specifically, the MIX biscuits exhibited Specifically, the MIX biscuits exhibited an optimal color and the lowest baking loss (15.54 ± 0.59%). They also had significantly higher oil and water content (16.93 ± 1.80% and 4.05 ± 0.18%, respectively), alongside a lower diffusion coefficient (11.71 ± 0.24) and the lowest peroxide value (0.04 ± 0.02 g/100g) among all groups. Furthermore, the MIX biscuits exhibited excellent hardness, fracturability, and short-range ordering. Meanwhile, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a homogeneous distribution of water and oil in the MIX biscuits. Sensory evaluation results indicated that the MIX biscuits received high scores for color, taste, appearance, texture, flavor and overall acceptability. These findings may provide an important reference for the development of healthy and functional bakery products.