Physicochemical, rheological and organoleptic characterizations of sponge cakes fortified with mycoproteins

Mycoproteins (MP), as novel alternative protein sources produced by fungi, have become popular as healthier and more sustainable protein-rich substitutes. In this study, multifunctional sponge cakes were made using MP at various levels (0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% w/w) and effects on the product's physicochemical characteristics, texture and acceptability were assessed. The MP addition modified physicochemical, color and sensory characteristics of the cakes. Compared with the control sample, protein (16.04 ±0.50) and fiber (1.98 ±0.09) quantities of the resultant mixed wheat flour significantly increased in all treatments (especially in MP 50% = 24.79 ±0.50 and 4.72 ±0.18, respectively). Replacement of wheat flour with MP (50%) significantly enhanced hardness (23.34 N ±2.03), chewiness (0.34 J ±0.44) and gumminess (12.12 N ±0.75) of the cakes while decreased springiness (6.86 mm ±0.21) and specific volume (1.30 ±0.01), compared to the control sample. The sponge cake shell color characteristics of browning index (107.3164) and ΔE (11.65 ±0.59) were higher in the 50 MP-enriched cakes than in the control cakes (0 and 66.40181, respectively). Compared to the control sample, enriched cakes prepared with 10% MP (10-MP) in substitute of wheat flour included 29% more proteins, 25% more fibers and 33% less cooking losses. No significant variations were seen in the sensory evaluations of 10-MP and control sample, suggesting that the cakes were well accepted. Overall, the study results showed that mycoproteins at optimize substituting ratios could be used as an alternative of wheat flour to produce highly nutritious and rheologically acceptable sponge cakes.