关键词: 月饼, 美国杏仁粉, 麦芽糖醇糖浆, 胶体, 全质构分析, 描述性感官评定, 相关性

Abstract: Moon cakes are a baked food product that is unique both in shape and in having a shiny surface with various specially-designed patterns characteristic of Chinese culture. Well-established as a traditional snack food in China, moon cakes are heavilyconsumed during Mid-Autumn Day, a traditional Chinese holiday, with sales over $15 billion RMB each year in China market.However, the moon cakes are traditionally high in sugar, and formulated with wheat flour. Almonds produced in CaliforniaValley are low in carbohydrates, rich in dietary fibers and proteins, and are a nut that benefits heart health as claimed by the FDA.The objectives of this research were to formulate a new type of moon cake that satisfies the qualified health claim criteria usingCalifornia almond flour, as another key ingredient besides wheat flour, and to investigate the rheological, textural and sensorycharacteristics. Crust doughs of moon cakes were made from wheat and almond flours based on a traditional Chinese formulation.Nine formulations were investigated according to orthogonal statistical design (3 levels, variables of almond flour, maltitol,peanut oil and a combination of xanthan gum and gum Arabic). Baked moon cake products were evaluated for quantified texturalattributes by a trained sensory panel, and descriptive profiles of textural attributes were obtained. Products were also testedinstrumentally by use of Texture Analyzer and Minolta chroma meter. Experimental data were analyzed using analysis ofvariance and principal components analysis. Relationships between sensory and instrumental analyses were identified withcorrelations. Sensory results showed that addition of almond flour had positive effects on the attributes of moon cakes in regardsto flavor, chewiness, oiliness, fattiness, stickiness and color, but had negative effect on hardness, as well as a little on sweetness.Texture Profile Analysis results showed that chewiness and cohesiveness increased, but hardness decreased, as the amount ofalmond flour increased. The sensory hardness and chewiness had good linear correlations with instrumental data with correlationcoefficients of 0.983 and 0.963, respectively. The sensory stickiness was also found to be linearly related to the instrumentalcohesiveness (R2 =0.996). The formulated almond-containing moon cake meet the qualified health claim criteria as defined by FDAthat may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Key words: moon cake, California almond flour, maltitol syrup, gums, Texture Profile Analysis, Descriptive Sensory Analysis, correlation