Biomaterial Database

Preservation of Chocolate Muffins with Lemon Balm, Oregano, and Rosemary Extracts. 2021

Mariana C Pedrosa, and Jonata M Ueda, and Bruno Melgar, and Maria Inês Dias, and José Pinela, and Ricardo C Calhelha, and Marija Ivanov, and Marina Soković, and Sandrina Heleno, and Aline Bruna da Silva, and Márcio Carocho, and Isabel C F R Ferreira, and Lillian Barros

Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal.

Muffins are snacks made from flour and chocolate and preserved with synthetic additives. Following consumer trends, the search for natural food additives has gained traction. Plants such as rosemary, lemon balm, and oregano were analyzed following an optimization of ultrasound assisted extraction, screened for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and incorporated in chocolate muffins, comparing them to synthetic preservatives over the course of 8 days. The nutritional profile, organic and fatty acids, soluble sugars, texture profile, external color and digital imaging of the muffin pores were analyzed. Slight changes were sought for the muffins incorporated with the natural extracts. By means of linear discriminant analysis, rosemary extract was considered the most promising extract to preserve the muffins due to its similarity to potassium sorbate, showing no changes in the muffins it was incorporated in, although it showed a lower amount of phenolic compounds when compared to lemon balm.