943 Research Article Received: 25 May 2009 Revised: 31 July 2009 Accepted: 23 November 2009 Published online in Wiley Interscience: 3 March 2010 (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI 10.1002/jsfa.3886 Relationship between textural properties and sensory qualities of cookies made from medium- and long-chain triacylglycerol-enriched margarines Norlelawati Arifin, a,b Koh Soo Peng, a Kamariah Long, c Tan Chin Ping, d Mohd Suria Affandi Yusoff, e Idris Nor Aini f and Lai Oi Ming a,g∗ Abstract BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the textural properties and sensory qualities of cookies made from medium- and long-chain triacylglycerol (MLCT)-enriched margarines. Margarine with formulations of MLCT : palm olein : palm stearin, 60 : 30:10 and 70 : 20:10, were selected to produce cookies. The textural properties of cookies were determined using a texture analyser. Quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) and acceptance test were carried out to describe the attributes and to evaluate the degree of liking of cookies, respectively. RESULTS: Cookies made from MLCT-enriched margarines showed high values for hardness, fracturability, but also for cohesiveness and adhesiveness. Trained panelists rated the cookies made from MLCT-enriched margarines to be lower as compared to those made from commercial margarine for most of QDA attributes. However, cookies made from MOS 603010 and commercial margarines were scored similarly (P > 0.05) for all acceptance test attributes. Overall acceptability was found to be highly and negatively correlated for hardness, fracturability and cohesiveness (R 2 > 0.90). Principal component analysis showed that the taste attribute of cookies and the % solid fat content of margarine at 35 ◦ C highly influenced the overall quality of the cookies. CONCLUSION: Cookies made from MLCT-enriched margarines were not successfully produced. However, the findings obtained provide new perspectives in the production of low-calorie bakery fat. c  2010 Society of Chemical Industry Keywords: medium- and long-chain triacylglycerols; MLCT-enriched margarine; cookies; textural properties; sensory qualities; quantitative descriptive analysis; acceptance test; correlation coefficient; principal component analysis INTRODUCTION Margarine is plastic fat that contains a high proportion of fats and oils. The consumption of foods that contain high levels of fat, such as cakes, cookies and pastries, is usually associated with obesity and lifestyle-related diseases. Efforts have been made to reduce calories in bakery products by reducing fat content 1,2 or replacing lipids with fat mimetics, 3,4 and oat bran. 5,6 However, fats also play important roles in texture, flavour, appearance and taste development of the final products. So far, to our knowledge, the incorporation of low calorie lipid into food products has received huge attention. 7–10 As a novel fat, medium- and long-chain triacylglycerol (MLCT) has different physico-chemical properties from other existing fats and oils which affect the texture of the final products. Texture is a very important quality attribute in most food products since it affects the sensory perception, stability and nutritional properties of food. It is a quality of the food felt either by the fingers, the tongue or the palate of the teeth. It does not involve the senses of smell and taste. Texture can be determined using a texture analyser. However, there is a limitation in texture measurement ∗ Correspondence to: Lai Oi Ming, Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. E-mail: omlai@biotech.upm.edu.my a Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolec- ular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia b Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, 71800 Bandar Baru Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia c Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), P.O. Box 12301, 50774 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia d Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia e Sime Darby Research Sdn. Bhd, P.O. Box 207, 47200 Banting, Selangor, Malaysia f KFC Holdings (Malaysia Bhd.), Level 14, Wisma KFC, 17 Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur g InstituteofBioscience,UniversitiPutraMalaysia,UPM,43400Serdang,Selangor, Malaysia J Sci Food Agric 2010; 90: 943–948 www.soci.org c  2010 Society of Chemical Industry