Research Project Written Report NUTR 453 Added fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, and lignans via ground flaxseed to macaroni and cheese for health benefits Authors: Addie Dobson, Holly Giersch, and Meghan Shanahan Abstract: The purpose of this experiment was to alter a macaroni and cheese recipe by making it a functional food through the addition of ground flaxseed to the cheese sauce. The hope for the project was that ground flaxseed could be added to the cheese sauce of a chosen macaroni and cheese recipe to add healthful benefits. The challenge with making macaroni and cheese a functional food is altering the product while minimally impacting flavor, thickness and color according to the objective and subjective test results. The main findings from this experiment concluded that texture was minimally affected with the addition of flaxseed but the flavor and color preference was more greatly altered with the addition of flaxseed. The main message for this experiment would be that further experimentation and alterations are necessary to make the macaroni and cheese with added ground flaxseed a functional food that provides added health benefits to consumers. Introduction: The problem explored in this report is the lack of fiber in macaroni and cheese recipes. Macaroni and cheese is not often thought of as a healthy food or a food that is considered to be rich in fiber or other nutrients. The goal for this experiment was to add healthy components to a food that is consumed by many people. The group decided that adding ground flaxseed to the VELVEETA Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese recipe would be a great way to enhance the product because flaxseed contains healthy omega 3 fatty acids, lignans, and fiber components. These three components have been shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes (WebMD 2012). The purpose of this experiment is to determine how our dependent variable, amount of flaxseed added, affects the independent variables, texture analyzer, hunter colorimeter, 9 point hedonic scale, and linespread apparatus. The main goal was to add the benefits of ground flaxseed to the VELVEETA Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese recipe. A serving of this recipe contains only 1g of dietary fiber. One tablespoon of ground flaxseed alone contains 3.5g of dietary fiber (Glavas 2002), and to obtain all the health benefits from flaxseed, one needs to consume only 1 tablespoon (6.6 grams) per day (Livestrong 2011). These are the reasons that the group decided it was a good functional
ingredient that could be added to macaroni and cheese to make a final enhanced functional food product. The chemical process for this experiment was the addition of ground flaxseed to the VELVEETA cheese sauce. The ground flaxseed and cheese sauce were then mixed homogenously to attempt to disguise the flaxseed. There was not an actual chemical reaction that occurred in this experiment because it is just a mixture of the ground flaxseed and cheese sauce mixture. The main purpose of adding ground flaxseed to macaroni and cheese was to make it more nutritional, and the hope was to make sure the product tasted and looked appealing. Adding flaxseed altered the product but the hope was that the results would be able to support that it did so minimally and that the health benefits outweighed the alterations. The product was tested both subjectively and objectively. The 9 point hedonic scale, a subjective test, was used to test the cheese sauce and the cheese sauce on the noodle carrier for flavor, thickness, and color. A rank of 9 would be a cheese sauce that has a desirable yellow orange color, good flavor, and is not runny. Objective tests that were used were the Texture Analyzer, Hunter Colorimeter and Linespread Apparatus. The Texture Analyzer was used to determine the texture (in grams of force) of the cheese sauce and results could be compared depending on the variable. The Hunter Colorimeter was used to determine variation and changes in the color of the product after the flaxseed was added. The normal color for the cheese sauce is a yelloworange color. The Linespread Apparatus was used to evaluate the spread of the cheese sauce under the influence of gravity, measuring the control and each variable. Methods: The point of the experiment is to use ground flaxseed to make macaroni and cheese a functional food product and use the VELVEETA Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese recipe (Kraft Foods 2012). The experiment will have a control and 3 variables having 2g, 4g, and 6g of ground flaxseed, respectively. Each serving size will total 1 cup when mixed with the noodles (according to the recipe). However, the samples for tasting will be portioned in 2 oz. cups. The recipe calls for using VELVEETA cheese, milk, and elbow macaroni. For each trial, the recipe was doubled the original recipe and use 680.389g of cheese, 157.725 ml of milk, and 227g of elbow macaroni. The noodles and cheese sauce were cooked in separate pans so that subjective and objective tests can be done on the cheese sauce separate from the noodle carrier that will be used for sensory evaluation. The cheese was cut into ½ inch squares and melted in a sauce pan, while stirring in the milk. Once cheese was melted and the milk was added, the cheese sauce was separated equally into four different containers (one for the control and each of the 3 variables). Then 1 cup serving sizes will be portioned out into 2 oz. containers. For the control, 0g of ground flaxseed will be added to each serving. For the 3 variables, 2g, 4g, or 6g of ground flaxseed will be added to each serving. Each of the variables was controlled by altering the mixing procedure. Since the flaxseed is ground, it was not
difficult to mix it in with the cheese sauce. The three experimental groups needed to be mixed more thoroughly than the control group due to the addition of the flax seed. There were 2 serving sizes prepared per experiment category to ensure that we have enough cheese sauce to run both the subjective and objective tests. The control and each variable were divided in half using 1 serving of each for the subjective and objective tests. The Texture Analyzer (TA) was used to measure texture of the cheese sauce, the Linespread Apparatus to measure the amount of spread under gravity s influence, and the Hunter Colorimeter to test the color. The TA was put on the cheese setting for the measurements. The half of cheese sauce that is not used for objective analysis was poured over the cooked elbow macaroni and left plain. Our samples for tasting were portioned into 2 oz. cups. We then asked our volunteers to taste the plain cheese sauces and the cheese sauces using the noodle carrier. They evaluated them based on flavor, thickness, and color using the Hedonic scale. (Examples of our scorecards can be found after the reference section.) Fellow classmates sampled our product because they are considered semi trained, so we only needed about 12 people per trial. Results: When analyzing results from the linespread apparatus, a smaller spread would indicate a thicker sauce, and therefore, a higher viscosity. A larger spread would come from a thinner sauce, which would indicate a lower viscosity. In Table 1, it is seen that the viscosity was statistically significant different when greater than 2 g per serving of flax seed was added to the cheese sauce. There was an indirect relationship between the amount of flaxseed added and the spread of the sauce. Therefore, the more flaxseed added, the lesser the spread. For texture analyzer results, a greater force indicates a tougher sauce and a lesser force indicates a weaker sauce. Table 2 shows that there was not much statistical variation in the texture of the sauce variables when measured with the texture analyzer. The only variable significantly different from the control was 6 g. The Hunter colorimeter is used to measure the color in a product or measure color variations. For this experiment, it was most useful to solely analyze the L value, which measures lightness and darkness. A greater L value indicates that the product is a lighter color and a smaller L value indicates that the product is a darker color. Color measurements noted the greatest variation between trials. Table 3 indicates the values for the trials. The L value is the value that should be observed for color variation. The L values increased significantly between the control and 2 g of flaxseed per serving and significantly again when 4 g and 6 g were added to the cheese sauce. Tables 4 and 5 show subjective results from the cheese sauce and cheese sauce with noodle carrier taste tests using the hedonic rating scale. The subjects that tasted the cheese sauce and cheese sauce with noodles carrier liked the control better than any of the trial samples for flavor and color. Therefore, the subjects liked the samples with the lesser amounts of flaxseed. The greater the amount of flaxseed added, the less the subjects liked the samples. For thickness, however, there was not a significant
difference between the hedonic rating for the control (0 g), 2 g, and 4 g variables. For the cheese sauce ratings, there was only a significant difference between the control and 6 g. For the cheese sauce with noodle carrier ratings, there was no significant difference between any of the variables for thickness. The most variation in preference between the variables occurred for color. This indicates that the subjects were easily able to tell which samples contained flaxseed. It also showed that a product containing more flaxseed is less desirable looking. TABLE 1 Linespread of Cheese Sauce with Varied Amounts of Ground Flaxseed Trial 1 20 19 18 18 Trial 2 21 18 18 17 Trial 3 20 20 19 18 Average 20.3 a 19 ab 18.3 b 17.7 b Std. Dev. 0.5774 1 0.5774 0.5774 a b Figure 1: Average spread values of cheese sauce after adding ground flaxseed a b Data points not bearing the same data label are statistically significantly different (p <0.05).
TABLE 2 Texture Analyzer Readings of Cheese Sauce with Varied Amounts of Ground Flaxseed Trial 1 9 8 10 14.5 Trial 2 8 7 7 12 Trial 3 7 8 10 11 Average 8 a 7.7 a 9 ab 12.5 b Std. Dev. 1 0.5774 1.7321 1.8028 a b Figure 2: Average texture analyzer readings of cheese sauce after adding ground flaxseed a b Data points not bearing the same data label are statistically significantly different (p <0.05) TABLE 3 Hunter Colorimeter Readings of Cheese Sauce with Varied Amounts of Ground Flaxseed L a b L a b L a b L a Trial 1 69.76 11.68 29.34 64.68 8.33 24.28 62.71 8.17 23.3 58.71 7.88 Trial 2 68.81 13.33 29.72 61.13 9.99 24.43 59.63 8.65 22.69 56.47 8.36 Trial 3 68.98 13.4 29.75 61.09 10.04 24.61 59.16 8.87 22.48 56.33 8.4 Averag e 69.2 a 12.8 29.6 62.3 b 9.5 24.4 60.5 bc 8.6 22.8 57.2 c 8.2 Std. Dev. 0.506 6 0.9735 0.2285 2.0612 0.9732 0.1652 1.9283 0.358 0.4259 1.3355 0.2894
Figure 3: Average Hunter Colorimeter L values after adding ground flaxseed Bars not bearing the same data label are statistically significantly different (p <0.05). 80 70 60 50 L value 40 30 69.2 62.3 60.5 57.2 20 10 0 0 2 4 6 Ground flaxseed added (g) TABLE 4.1 Hedonic Rating for Flavor of Cheese Sauce Trial 1 7.5 7.25 6.75 4 Trial 2 7.6 7.2 6.9 5.3 Trial 3 8.2 7.3 7 6.8 Average 7.8 a 7.25 a 6.9 a 5.4 b Std. Dev. 0.3786 0.05 0.1258 1.4012 TABLE 4.2 Hedonic Rating for Thickness of Cheese Sauce Trial 1 7 8 7.5 7.75 Trial 2 7.1 7.4 7.2 7.85 Trial 3 7.3 7.3 7.2 7.8 Average 7.2 a 7.6 ab 7.3 ab 7.8 b Std. Dev. 0.1528 0.3786 0.1732 0.05
TABLE 4.3 Hedonic Rating for Color of Cheese Sauce Trial 1 8.25 7 6.25 5 Trial 2 8.25 6.3 5.8 5.1 Trial 3 8.5 5.8 5.2 5.3 Average 8.3 a 6.4 b 5.75 bc 5.1 c Std. Dev. 0.1443 0.6028 0.5268 0.1528 Figure 4: Average Hedonic scale ratings of flavor, thickness, and color of cheese sauce after adding ground flaxseed Bars of the same color not bearing the same data label are statistically significantly different (p <0.05). Hedonic rating 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 8.3 7.8 7.2 7.6 7.25 6.4 7.3 6.9 5.75 7.8 5.4 5.1 Flavor Thickness Color 2 1 0 0 2 4 6 Ground flaxseed added (g) TABLE 5.1 Hedonic Rating for Flavor of Cheese Sauce with Noodle Carrier Trial 1 7.5 7.25 6.75 5.75 Trial 2 7.5 7.2 6.85 6.2 Trial 3 8 7.2 6.8 6.8 Average 7.7 a 7.2 ab 6.8 bc 6.25 c Std. Dev. 0.2887 0.0289 0.05 0.5268
TABLE 5.2 Hedonic Rating for Thickness of Cheese Sauce with Noodle Carrier Trial 1 7 8 7.5 7.75 Trial 2 6.9 7.7 7.1 7.2 Trial 3 6.8 7.2 6.8 6.8 Average 6.9 a 7.6 a 7.1 a 7.3 a Std. Dev. 0.1 0.4041 0.3512 0.477 TABLE 5.3 Hedonic Rating for Color of Cheese Sauce with Noodle Carrier Trial 1 8.25 7 6.25 5 Trial 2 8.2 6.7 6 4.9 Trial 3 8.3 6 5.8 4.8 Average 8.3 a 6.6 b 6 b 4.9 c Std. Dev. 0.05 0.5132 0.2255 0.1 Figure 5: Average Hedonic scale ratings of flavor, thickness, and color of cheese sauce (with noodle carrier) after adding ground flaxseed Bars of the same color not bearing the same data label are statistically significantly different (p <0.05). Hedonic rating 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 8.3 7.7 6.9 7.6 7.2 6.6 7.1 7.3 6.8 6 6.25 4.9 Flavor Thickness Color 2 1 0 0 2 4 6 Ground flaxseed added (g)
Discussion: Fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, and lignans via ground flaxseed were added to a macaroni and cheese recipe enhance the health benefits that could come from consuming this product. It was noted from texture analyzer measures and linespread apparatus measures that the texture of the cheese sauce had a low variability with the addition of flaxseed. However, measures from the 9 point hedonic scale and Hunter colorimeter noted that there was great variability in color and preference. The greatest obstacle with making this experiment successful was to disguise the necessary amount of flaxseed that is known to provide health benefits in a serving size portion, while still making it appealing to the consumer. The experiment and fiber source used would need to be altered to make this a successful functional food that could be marketed to the public. The take home message for this experiment would be that further experimentation and alterations are necessary to make this a functional food that will provide added health benefits to the people consuming it. Suggestions for future repetitions of this experiment would be to choose a way to better mask the flaxseed, choose a finer fiber source, and to evaluate how the added flaxseed affected health. A way to evaluate added health benefits would be to test satiety and healthy benefits in subjects who consumed this product on a regular basis. Satiety of subjects who consumed the altered macaroni and cheese product could be compared to that of the control in a future experiment. This experiment could have also been enhanced by testing the effect of addition of flaxseed on the health benefit of the inhibition of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a disease of the arteries where there are deposits of built up fat material. The component of α linolenic acid in flaxseed can inhibit atherosclerosis because it will inhibit the atherogenic action of cholesterol. One way to measure atherosclerosis would be to measure fat deposits in arteries (Bassett 2220 2226). Different fiber sources could be used that would be more easily disguised in the cheese sauce of a macaroni and cheese recipe. Masking the flaxseed could also be a way to improve the experiment. Masking of the flaxseed could be done by adding spices or other ingredients into the recipe. It would also be helpful to obtain a more grounded flaxseed, so that it could be better mixed in with the cheese sauce. References: Bassett C. 2011. The α linolenic acid content of flaxseed can prevent the atherogenic effects of dietary trans fat. American Journal of Physiology 301(6): 2220 2226. Flax seeds: How much per day? [Internet]. Demand Media, Inc.; 2011 [Accessed 2012 Sept 23]. Available from http://livestrong.com.
Glavas D. 2002. Separating flaxseed facts from fiction. Pharmacy Post 10(7): 20. Singh KK, Mridula D, Rehal J, Barnwal P. 2011. Flaxseed: a potential source of food, feed and fiber. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 51(3): 210 222. The Benefits of Flaxseed [Internet]. WebMD, LLC.; 2012 [Accessed 2012 Sept 23]. Available from: http://webmd.com. VELVEETA Ultimate Macaroni & Cheese [Internet]. Kraft Foods; 2012 [Accessed 2012 Sept 23]. Available from: http://kraftrecipes.com. Sensory Evaluation Charts: Cheese Sauce Sensory Evaluation Rate using 9 point hedonic scale. 9=best flavor, extremely thick, desirable color; 1=least flavorful, extremely thin, undesirable color. Variable 149 Variable 845 Variable 903 Variable 289 Flavor Thickness Color Cheese Sauce with Noodle Carrier Sensory Evaluation Rate using 9 point hedonic scale. 9=best flavor, extremely thick, desirable color; 1=least flavorful, extremely thin, undesirable color. Variable 112 Variable 926 Variable 616 Variable 730 Flavor Thickness Color