Agriculture & Food ISSN 1314-8591, Volume 5, 2017 Journal of International Scientific Publications www.scientific-publications.net Page 74 THE EFFECTS OF PARTIALLY DEFATTED MILK THISTLE (SILYBUM MARIANUM) SEED FLOUR ON WHEAT FLOUR Livia Apostol, Sorin Iorga, Claudia Mosoiu, Radu Ciprian Racovita, Oana Mihaela Niculae National Research & Development Institute for Food Bioresources – IBA Bucharest, 6 Dinu Vintila Street, Bucharest, Romania Abstract Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a rich source of ingredients, such as aminoacids, fatty acids, minerals, and phytochemicals exhibiting nutraceutical effects on human health. In this work, partially defatted milk thistle seed flour, a by-product obtained during the manufacture of milk thistle seed oil, was studied as an additive for common wheat flour. The influence of the addition of partially defatted milk thistle seed flour was studied by analyzing the colour, mineral content and rheological properties of dough in order to further exploit the functionality of partially defatted milk thistle seed in bakery products. Mixtures containing 5%, 10% and 15% partially defatted milk thistle added to wheat flour maintained rheological parameters within recommended limits for a good technological behaviour and, consequently, a good quality of bakery products. Mineral contents, especially calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium, were also significantly increased. Key words: Silybum marianum, milk thistle seed, color, mineral content, dough, rheological properties 1. INTRODUCTION Milk thistle (Silybum marianum, family: Asteraceae) is an annual or biennial plant, native to the Mediterranean area, which nowadays has spread out to the warm and dry regions of Southern Europe and Asia. It is cultivated as an ornamental species, a medicinal herb, and as a minor vegetable. Milk thistle has been used in folk medicine for over 2,000 years as a remedy for a variety of medical conditions, especially liver, kidney and gallbladder ailments (Wang et al. 2014). The roots can be consumed raw, boiled or fried. In springtime, young sprouts can be cut down to their roots and boiled. Thorny bracts at the base of the inflorescence were consumed in the past as an alternative to artichokes, and stems (after cleaning) were soaken overnight in water to eliminate their bitterness and then fried. Leaves can be boiled to obtain a suitable replacement of spinach and can also be added into raw salads. The cholagogue and diuretic effects of milk thistle have been described as far back as 1554 by Mattioli. There are numerous pharmacology and toxicology studies with regard to milk thistle. Both in vitro and animal-based research studies have suggested that milk thistle can exhibit hepatoprotective (antihepatotoxic) properties, i.e. protection of liver cells against toxins. (Al-Anati et al. 2009; Jayaraj et al. 2009). Milk thistle seeds are the main source of silymarin (4-6%), with applications in the pharmaceutical industry. Silymarin is a flavonoid complex containing several flavonolignans, including silybinin, isosylibinin, silydianin, and silychristin. (S.Eskandari Nasrabadi et al. 2014). The main reason for the widespread cultivation of this plant species is its importance for the treatment of liver and billiary diseases, as well as for prevention of liver cancer (S. Eskandari Nasrabadi et al. 2014). It is believed that the silymarin extracted from the ripe seeds of milk thistle is the biologically active component. The whole plant is used for medicinal purposes, but the highest content of silymarin is in the seeds. Silymarin exerts its antitoxic effect by stablizing intermembrane exchanges and via its