Antioxidant activities, functional properties, and application of a novel Lepidium sativum polysaccharide in the formulation of cake

A novel heteropolysaccharide, named cress water soluble polysaccharide (CWSP), was purified from Lepidium sativum seeds. Antioxidant activities and functional properties were characterized thermally using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) results of CWSP were evaluated. The total antioxidant capacity and the metal chelating activities of CWSP at 3 mg/ml were equivalent to 116.34 µg ascorbic acid and 62.57%, respectively. As for the CWSP that was used for the production of cakes, it was thermally stable, and it presented high water (WHC) and oil holding (OHC) capacities and good emulsion properties. The samples were prepared with different levels of CWSP (0.1. 0.3, and 0.5%) and analyzed during 15 days of storage at room temperature. The obtained results indicated that the addition of CWSP had a significant effect on the texture profile, leading to the increase in all parameters in terms of hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, and chewiness. Moreover, the reformulation samples presented higher a* and lower L* and b* than the control sample. The sensory evaluation showed that the formulation of cake with 0.3% of CWSP was the most acceptable. Therefore, CWSP was shown to be a new alternative for improving the quality attributes, indicating potent antioxidant activities on the shelf life during the storage of bakery foods.