Food sciences graduate student Amber Jack created a sugar-free, gluten-free banana muffin — not that you could tell by the taste. The treat boasts all the taste and texture people have come to expect from their muffins.
A gluten-free diet is beneficial for people with Celiac Disease, which is prevalent in the United States, Jack said. Celiac Disease has been linked to diabetes, which is why she strove to create a muffin that was both gluten- and sugar-free.
Another motivating factor was the rise in popularity of gluten-free products, as well as her own lifestyle. Jack said she tries to maintain a gluten-free diet and used that knowledge, as well as the research and studies of others, to start her project.
“I did a little bit of both. I mixed my knowledge plus their knowledge,” Jack said.
In North America alone, 3 to 4 million people are diagnosed with Celiac Disease, said Witoon Prinyawiwatkul, food science professor and Jack’s faculty adviser. The rise in the popularity of gluten-free diets in the United States is one of the reasons gluten-free product research is important, he said.
“It’s a hot topic we should consider,” Prinyawiwatkul said. “The market for gluten-free product is huge.”
After going through 20 formulations and three different types of muffins, Jack found a recipe for a gluten-free muffin that tastes similar to a regular muffin.
Getting the batter to rise can be difficult without gluten, Prinyawiwatkul said, which is why the experiment required so many trials.
To get there, Jack experimented with different flour mixtures, as different kinds of flour produce different textures. She created muffins that contained all sugar, half sugar and half Stevia, a sugar substitute, and all Stevia.
Even though she went through many trials, Jack said she found the process enjoyable.
“I’m actually passionate about this, and I do gluten-free in my own life, so it was actually fun,” Jack said. “For somebody else, maybe it would have been frustrating, but it was a fun challenge and adventure for me.”
She initially used her classmates to test the muffins when she began the project, but Jack later used the LSU AgCenter Sensory Analysis Center to test the various formulations. The different muffins were tested by 128 people. The analysis center helped determine if the muffin’s taste was acceptable and whether or not the product would be purchased if made commercially available, Prinyawiwatkul said.
The LSU AgCenter is currently working on reaching out to companies to sell the recipe.
Now that the experiment has finished, Jack said she plans on researching gluten-free products even further. With research like this and the rising popularity of gluten-free diets, Jack said she hopes gluten-free products will be offered in more than just specialty stores, making the products cheaper and more accessible.