Effect of incorporating bee pollen on batter physicochemical properties and quality of functional gluten-free cake

In this study, bee pollen at different levels (3, 6, 9, 12 and 15%) was added to the gluten-free cake containing corn starch and the samples were evaluated in terms of physiochemical and technological properties. The results showed that the addition of bee pollen had no significant effect on the consistency of the batter (p < 0.05). However, it reduced the pH and increased the density and specific gravity of the batter. Cake volume was increased from 104.7 mL in the control to 112.3 mL in 6% pollen sample and then decreased significantly (p < 0.05). A similar trend was observed for specific volume. The height of cake loaf was 5.3 cm in control that was decreased to 4.7 cm in 15% pollen cake. Incorporating bee pollen reduced baking loss, so the sample with 15% pollen had the lowest baking loss. Moreover, adding pollen to the gluten-free cake was associated with an increase in moisture, ash and browning index values and a decrease in its water activity. The porosity and microstructure analysis showed that addition of bee pollen increased cake porosity (from 20.3 to 30.8%) and the average cell area of the samples (from 5.1 to 14.7 per cm2) in comparison with control sample. In addition, sensory analysis showed that cakes containing 6 and 9% pollen had the highest overall acceptance compared to other samples. Therefore, medium levels of bee pollen can be used to produce functional gluten-free cakes with desirable sensory and technological characteristics.