Improving the antioxidant properties of biscuits with the addition of beetroot powder

Abstract

Due to the increase in diseases related to oxidative stress, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, food producers are developing functional products enriched with antioxidants. Antioxidants can inhibit or delay the oxidation of biologically essential molecules by quenching free radicals, thus protecting cells from oxidative stress. In this work, the effect of replacing spelt flour with beetroot powder (up to 50 %) on the antioxidant properties of biscuits was investigated. At the beginning of storage and after 3 and 6 months, the content of betalains, total polyphenols, and flavonoids and the capacity to remove DPPH radicals were examined. All the mentioned parameters increased with the content of beetroot powder in the biscuit and decreased with the rise of the storage time. During storage, the biscuit color turned brown. The biscuits with the beetroot showed significantly improved antioxidant properties compared to the control sample without beetroot.