Use of succinyl chitosan as fat replacer on cake formulations

Chitosan derivatives have been used in bakeries as dietary fiber source for obtaining healthy breads, but no other application has been suggested. This research was focused on exploring the ability of a chitosan derivative (succinyl chitosan, SC) as fat replacer in cakes. SC suspensions were used to replace different levels of fat (up to absence of fat) and the effect on batters' consistency and cakes features (color, morphogeometrics properties, texture, moisture and water activity) were evaluated. SC suspensions (2 g/100 g) were used to replace different levels of fat in cakes. By adapting batter consistencies, it was possible to obtain fat reduced batters with the same density, and cakes with high 2D area and lower ratio (width/height) containing half of the fat present in the reference cake. Crumb structure and texture features of fat reduced cakes containing SC was similar to that of full fat cakes. During staling, SC reduced hardening rate of cakes containing half fat, although drying rate was accelerated. The results indicated that succinyl chitosan has a great potential to be used as partial fat replacer on cakes, even reducing hardening rate during storage.