The effect of partial substitution of pumpkin flour for rice flour on the physical properties and sensory attributes of gluten-free muffin were investigated. Pumpkin flour was used to replace 10, 15 and 20% rice flour in a control gluten-free muffin formulation (without pumpkin flour). The partial substitution of pumpkin flour for rice flour did not affect moisture content of gluten-free muffins. However, the pumpkin flour substitution caused significant reduction in water activity of gluten-free muffins. Results on the volume, specific volume and height of all gluten-free muffins showed no significant effect with the increasing percentage of pumpkin flour substitution. However, pumpkin flour substitution significantly reduced the firmness of composite muffins, and improved its springiness. The colour of crumb progressively became darker as the level of pumpkin flour substitution increased. Moreover, the results also showed that the substitution of pumpkin flour caused an increase in yellowness (b*) value of crust and crumb of gluten-free muffin. Sensory evaluation indicated that all gluten-free muffins incorporated with pumpkin flour received similar score when compared to that of control.
Megabiodiversity of Malaysian’s flora and fauna which include microorganism could be conserved and served as alternative source indigenous yeast, the leavening agent of commercial bread making. This study was conducted in attempt to exploit the potential of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from 30 different local fruits and plant parts as a leavening agent in bread making. The enrichment was carried out by fermenting the plant samples in medium containing Grape Must at 25°C for 10 days following by isolation of tentative yeasts at 30°C for 3 to 5 days. 20 out of 30 samples tested showed the presence of yeasts was then selected for identification of S. cerevisiae strains through biochemical and physiological tests. Of the 20 yeast strains examined, 13 strains were identified as S. cerevisiae and potentially used as leavening agent in bread making where 5 strains namely SN3, SMK9, SDB10, SRB11 and SS12 showed better fermentative performance compared to commercial strains. Thus, indicated that the local fruits and plant parts could be the potential source of indigenous S. cerevisiae strains for leavening agent in bread making.