MLADENKA V. PESTORIC*, ALEKSANDRA C. MIŠAN, OLIVERA D. ŠIMURINA, DUBRAVKA J. JAMBREC, MIONA M. BELOVIC, J. M. GUBIC, NATAŠA M. NEDELJKOVIC
*Corresponding author
University of Novi Sad, Institute of Food Technology, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

Abstract

‘Vitalplant’ extract, composed of non-toxic medicinal plants to enhance metabolism, can be considered functional food ingredient because of its biologically active constitutes, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Sensory and instrumental properties of new cookie formulations, developed by supplementing the basic cookie formula with 2 percent, 4 percent, and 6 percent ‘Vitalplant’ extract were tested in this study. Referring to the results, the extract addition caused statistically significant (P e 0.05) differences in sensory properties and instrumentally measured colour and texture parameters of the cookies. Based on their overall good sensory acceptability and previously confirmed antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of ‘Vitalplant’ extract, new cookie formulations can broaden the utilization of these extracts and may be regarded as health-promoting functional foods.

INTRODUCTION

Being a rich source of biologically active substances including antioxidants and antimicrobials, medicinal plants can be considered functional food ingredients (1). In our previous works, a selection of non-toxic medicinal plants with proven pharmacological action, including parsley fruit (Petroselini fructus), buckthorn bark (Frangulae cortex), peppermint leaves (Mentha piperitae folium) and caraway fruit (Carvi fructus) was made in order to compose a mixture aimed for metabolism stimulation and body weight regulation (2). Ethanolic extracts of peppermint leaves, buckthorn bark, parsley fruit and caraway fruit were shown to be a rich source of plant phenolics (2) and were demonstrated to possess antioxidant activity, which was tested by six different direct and indirect tests (3) and to possess antimicrobial activity (4). With respect to the obtained results, ‘Vitalplant’ mixture was composed and shown to possess a relatively high antioxidant activity in most of the tests, which was explained by synergistic effects of its components (3). What is even more relevant to this study is the fact that ‘Vitalplant’ extract addition improved ...