Physicochemical, textural, sensory, and environmental impact assessment of muffins enriched with black chokeberry pomace

As healthy lifestyles and functional foods become essential priorities, the food industry is increasingly focusing on developing products with additional nutritional benefits. The incorporation of black chokeberry pomace powder into baked products, such as muffins, provides an effective approach to enhancing their nutritional profile while maintaining acceptable sensory attributes, including taste and appearance. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of adding black chokeberry powder on the physical, chemical, textural, and sensory qualities of muffins. Also, the environmental impacts associated with muffin production were determined by applying life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Four muffin formulations were prepared: three samples containing 5%, 10%, and 20% black chokeberry pomace, and a control sample without pomace addition. The results showed that incorporating high-fiber pomace powder into muffins reduced the volume of the dough due to increased resistance and decreased moisture content. The water activity (a_w) in the muffin samples ranged from 0.790 to 0.881, the pH decreased from 7.90 (control sample) to 7.08 (sample with 20% chokeberry pomace), while the titratable acidity increased with the increase in pomace content in the muffin samples. There is a major difference in color between the muffin samples, and texture parameters (especially hardness) were also influenced by the addition of pomace. Although higher levels of pomace incorporation were associated with increased environmental impact, the contribution was mainly linked to energy consumption rather than to the production process itself. However, adding chokeberry pomace is one of the solutions for utilizing by-products from the fruit juice industry, thus contributing to the circular economy.