The effect of the Sugar Replacement with Stevia and Adding Chia Seed Flour and Chickpea Protein Isolated on Qualitative and Rheological Properties of Gluten-Free Muffin Prepared from Rice Flour

Celiac Disease (CD) is a type of autoimmune gastrointestinal disorder that develops as a patient's inability to digest gluten in food. The only treatment of this disease is a gluten-free diet throughout one's life. Therefore, considering the production of high quality gluten-free food production for these patients is important. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sugar replacement with stevia at (0, 0.5 and 1 levels) and Chia Seed Flour (CSF) (0 and 8 % levels) and Chickpea Protein Isolated (CPI) (0 and 3 % levels) on specific gravity, batter flow properties, moisture content, specific volume, porosity, hardness, browning index, water activity and sensory properties of gluten-free muffin prepared from rice flour. The results indicated stevia, sugar and CSF especially combination of them  are able to increase moisture content, water activity, specific volume, porosity and browning index (BI) and decrease specific gravity. Also sugar-CSF sample had lower hardness, higher sensory properties and got highest acceptance rate (score5) in sensory assessment comparison with other samples.