Effect of incorporation of mint on texture, colour and sensory parameters of biscuits

In recent years, there has been a general trend towards replacing the use of synthetic antioxidant by natural antioxidant, derived from various plants, spices and oil seeds, in processed food. The present study deals in the use of mint (Mentha spicta L) as a source of natural antioxidant in different forms viz, powder, extract, and pure menthol for its application in biscuits. Formulation of mint component was designed based on preliminary studies using various parameters such as instrumental assessment for texture and color measurement and sensory evaluation. The selected levels were as follows 1% mint powder (MNT-P), 500 mg mint extract (MNT-E), and 100 ppm pure menthol (MNT-M) for incorporation in biscuits. The biscuits with different mint forms were packed in unit pouches of metallized polyester/poly laminate and stored at room temperature for five months. The texture value of biscuits with mint powder (MNT-P) received higher scores, comparable with the control (CNT) and BHA (BNT) biscuit indicating their crisp nature. However, color measurement (Delta E) values in MNT-P biscuits were higher followed by MNT-E biscuit due to their green color, whereas the values of MNT-M biscuit were comparable with the CNT and BHA biscuit indicating MNT-M did not impart any change in the color of the biscuit. The sensory scores of MNT-M were higher (P <= 0.05) than MNT-P and MNT-E biscuits. MNT-P variation received significantly higher (P <= 0.05) scores in terms of texture, taste and mouth feel. The results indicate that MNT-P biscuits were highly acceptable compared to MNT-E and MNT-M biscuits.