Protein enriched foods and healthy ageing: effects of protein fortification on muffin characteristics

Sarcopenia is a common problem among elderly. To maintain muscle mass, strength and function adequate dietary protein intake is of importance. The aim is to enable the development of high-quality fortified foods to improve protein status in elderly. Current study aimed to investigate how sensory and physical characteristics of a popular snack in the form of muffins change when increasing protein content. A reference muffin was compared to muffins fortified with soy flour, almond flour or whey protein, respectively. A focus group evaluated the sensory properties. Physical properties included colour measurement, water activity, weight and heights. All fortifiers affected the muffins differently, sensory as well as physical characteristics, showing the complexity of adding different fortifiers to muffins.