Research Progress Blog #2

     Even though we didn't have that much time in class this week I feel like that made me work more diligently because I was under a time crunch. I mainly used Google scholar this week for my research and I really liked it! It brought me to more credible sources and actual studies. This week has been a little discouraging though because most of the things I'm finding say that the healthier alternative tastes worse or changes the chemistry of the recipe too much.
   

     One of the best sources I found was one that compared bread made only with all-purpose flour and a loaf made with half almond and half all purpose flour. Almond flour is groud sweet almonds. It usually adds moistness and a nutty taste to baked goods. It is calories dense but it has more nutrients than regular flour. The goal of this study was to figure out that effect on the yeast. So after both loaves were cooked they checked for texture, volume, and overall appearance  Another thing learned from this is that with leavening agents it is best to try a healthier brand but not to replace the ingredient with something different because it is a specific chemical reaction you are looking for.


     Another substitution I found through my research this week was using olive oil instead of vegetable oil or butter. Olive oil is a mono-unsaturated fatty acid so it falls into the healthy category. Butter and other oils contain trans and saturated fat, both of which are bad for you. MUFAs can help lower your risk of heart disease by improving related risk factors. An example is the Mediterranean diet which has most fat coming from olive oil and has resulted in people with a reduction of inflammation & improved vitality. Since olive oil isn't a neutral oil it can add a little but of a fruity taste to baked goods but some prefer that anyway.

     A study I came across through Google Scholar was on buckwheat flours effectiveness in biscuits. Here is an excerpt from the study explain what buckwheat flour is: "Tartary Buckwheat is nutritious, especially of high nutrient content of rutin, and has many functions such as depressing blood fat, blood sugar and uric sugar. Tartary buckwheat also contains a lot of picrate so that it is considered to have the effects of antipyretic, lowering internal heat and recuperating stomach." They found that it only works in biscuit recipes with a lot of oil and sugar which cancels out the health benefits.

    I'm am excited to conference on my draft because I think it will help my paper and help me continue to write it. This weekend I plan on filling up my diigo account with more sources and then going through an organizing them into categories.