Investigation of the effects of corn flour, Spirulina powder, and buffalo yogurt on the quality characteristics of gluten-free muffins

This study aimed to investigate the properties of buckwheat flour-based gluten-free muffins formulated by using corn flour (CF), Spirulina powder (SP), and buffalo yogurt (BY) levels as the factors in the Box-Behnken experimental design. The color values, total soluble polyphenol content (TPC), radical scavenging activity (RSA), specific volume, moisture content, and baking loss results were evaluated as the response variables in the design. The buckwheat flour in the control sample was substituted with CF and SP. Cow yogurt was used in the control muffin instead of milk and was substituted with BY at different levels in other samples. Among the response variables, TPC and RSA values were selected for the optimization studies. Decreasing the CF and SP levels in the formulations resulted in observing higher TPC and RSA values. Three optimal formulations were obtained by response surface methodology. Both cow and buffalo yogurt did not change the properties of the muffins adversely compared to milk. Increasing the SP content made the muffins firmer and caused a decrease in the L*, a*, b*, and browning index values of the muffins. However, sensory scores of SP-containing muffins were also satisfactory.