Effect of Maize Starch Substitution on Physicochemical and Sensory Attributes of Gluten-Free Cookies Produced from Nixtamalized Flour

Nixtamalized corn flour (NCF) has a good dietary fiber profile that makes it an alternative to produce gluten-free cookies because upon hydration and mixing it yields a cohesive and machinable dough. In order to improve the texture and acceptance of cookies, five different experimental treatments were devised and compared with a cookie made with refined wheat flour. A waxy native maize or pregelatinized cross-linked starches in concentrations of 5% and 10% were evaluated. Results showed that the spread factor, diameter, and thickness of the different types of cookies were not statistically different (). With the exception of the control and cookies made with 10% waxy starch which were rated with lower scores, the rest of the treatments were not significantly different in terms of sensory attributes. The texture of cookies evaluated by panelists related to the objective texture was determined with the texture analyzer. Cookies made from the composite flour containing 10% pregelatinized cross-linked were softer or had lower maximum positive force after 5 days of storage. This particular gluten-free cookie contained 65% more dietary fiber compared to the wheat flour counterpart and had the best sensory attributes among all treatments including the cookie made with refined wheat flour.