Determination of some characteristics of dough and biscuit enriched with oat bran

Oat contains considerable amount of β-glucan and hence is known as a functional cereal. β-glucan is a fiber that has positive effects on human health. On the other hand, the average consumption of fiber is lower than recommended values. Accordingly, diseases such as coronary and heart disease as well as obesity are increasing. The main aim of this study was to increase the fiber content of biscuits as a favorite food of low fiber content. Therefore, the effects of replacement of oat bran (as a rich source of fiber) at different levels (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%) with wheat flour on the characteristics of the dough and biscuit was studied. The results showed that the Young modulus of the dough increased, while springiness and adhesiveness decreased. In addition, the biscuits became harder and the force required to break the biscuits decreased. Determination of the biscuits color showed that the darkness, redness and yellowness of the samples increased with increasing the quantity of the bran. Based on the sensory evaluation results, inclusion of more than 15% bran had significant undesirable effects on the quality attributes of the samples. Overall, inclusion of maximum 15% of oat bran in production of biscuit was suggested.