Partial replacement of fat with wheat bran in formulation of biscuits enriched with herbal blend

The effects of replacing fat with finely ground wheat bran, at different levels (30, 40 and 50%), in biscuit formulation were investigated with respect to dough texture and final biscuit characteristics and nutritional quality. Fat reduction using wheat bran increased dough hardness, but decreased adhesiveness, cohesiveness and springiness. Biscuit hard­ness increased and fracturability decreased with increasing fat replacement level. Changes in biscuit colour were detectable; lightness increased whereas yellow tone decreased. Inc­reasing bran level contributed to higher content of protein, fibres and minerals. The achieved calorie reduction spanned over 14.5–16.2%. The dietary fibre content increased 2.1–2.8 times in comparison to the control. The low sensory scores were obtained with over 30% of fat replacement. It could be concluded that fat may be replaced in biscuit formulation, up to 30% with wheat bran. These “reduced fat” biscuits had acceptable sen­sory properties and additional nutritional improvement due to higher fibres and minerals and fewer calories.