Characterization of the properties of cereal cookies with reduced ochratoxin content

The scientific community and food sector companies have been increasing their focus on cereal microflora and its toxic metabolites in recent years, which is primarily due to the requirement to meet the higher quality standards and legal regulations that have been imposed on food companies. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of filamentous fungi. Fungal toxins, such as ochratoxins, are responsible for reducing the quality of cereal grains. The content of mycotoxins in grain depends on many factors, such as the type of grain, climatic conditions, harvesting and storage conditions, and the conditions of technological processes. Contamination with ochratoxins may lead to tremendous economic losses, as well as potentially resulting in serious health consequences.

Taking the above into account, the aim of the research carried out as part of this project was to reduce the ochratoxin content by using an innovative technological method and to determine the impact of this method on the properties of cereal cookies. The applied technological modification consisted of conditioning the flour in the presence of sodium bicarbonate before the actual extrusion process. The following parameters were tested in the obtained cereal cookies: ochratoxin A content, color, texture, acid, and peroxide values. The modified technology resulted in cookies with a ten-fold lower ochratoxin content than those produced using the traditional method, as confirmed by the obtained results of ELISA test. The brightness of the cookies (L*) was about 50-70, and the subsequent chromatic coordinates a and b were from about 5 to 12 and from about 14 to 27, respectively. Analysis of the texture of the cookies showed that oat cookies were characterized by high brittleness. The fat extracted from the analyzed cookies was characterized by its good hydrolytic and oxidative qualities, as evidenced by low levels of acid and peroxide.