Location: Grain Quality and Structure Research
Project Number: 3020-43440-002-022-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2020
End Date: Aug 31, 2025
Objective:
The objective of this research is to develop a sorghum flour produce gluten-free cookie that can be included in ice cream. To meet the technological challenges of this overall object, specific objectives will be: a) develop a sorghum-based cookie/nugget that has appropriate texture in the frozen state as well as an acceptable flavor profile, and b) monitor the acceptability of sorghum-based cookies in a “cookies and cream” ice cream for real world verification of the formula.
Approach:
Developing cookie products for inclusion into ice cream requires additional work beyond simply formulating a cookie recipe. When incorporated into ice cream additional factors such as hardness of the cookie must be considered as it will be consumed frozen. Flavor impact (due to low volatility of flavor compounds when frozen) must also be optimized. To successfully utilize sorghum in baked products that can be used by the ice cream industry, commercial sorghum flours will be obtained and used to develop a cookie formulation for chocolate chip (one of the more popular cookie types on the market). Cookies will be made with this formula (minus the chocolate chips), but with the use of sorghum flour. Cookies will be baked, cooled, and stored overnight in closed containers. The following day, cookies will be evaluated for cookie spread and bake height. Cookies will be divided into groups for different temperature storage (~20°C, 4°C and -10°C) for a minimum of 48 hours prior to testing. Cookies will be evaluated for texture and cohesiveness and color. Cookies will be “mixed” to generate cookie pieces. Depending upon results, cookies may be “transferred” to bar-cookies and used to generate bite size nuggets. The research team will evaluate the cookies/pieces for flavor acceptability. For those with the best properties, cookies will be incorporated into partially frozen ice cream and the mixture hardened by storage at -20°C for up to 4 months. On a periodic basis, these tests will be removed and evaluated by the research team for inclusion integrity, flavor and texture. This will be key to ensure that the inclusion pieces, which have different water activities, etc., don’t “dissolve” into the ice cream base. Working with the results from the above tests, cookies will be made and processed for ice cream inclusion. Ice cream will be made in the Call Hall Dairy Processing plant at Kansas State University. Ice cream will be hardened and stored at -15 °C or lower. Ice cream will be evaluated for quality using tests for overrun, melt properties, texture and color by the research team. Between 2 to 4 weeks after manufacture, a 100 consumer panel will be recruited to monitor the acceptability of the ice cream. Panelists will be recruited from the university community and be asked to try a sample of the gluten-free cookies and cream ice cream and provide their liking on a 9 point hedonic scale.
