Resumen de Using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose as a fat substitute in making of healthy sweet while keeping sensory value

Haneen Al-Tarawneh, Hadeel Obeidat, Khaled A. Al-Najjar

• Introduction:

  Sweet foods are among the greatest broadly consumed food products in the Middle East and the world. Traditional Middle Eastern sweets such as Maamoul and Barazek are consumed in great amounts during social festivals. However, these sweets hold a high percentage of fat, reaching around 35%, which offers them necessary sensory properties for consumers.

  Objective:

  In this research, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) was used as a fat substitute in sweet products such as Barazek and Maamoul, due to their low fat content, without affecting the desirable sensory possessions of consumers.

  Methods:

  The study prepared Maamoul and Barazek by replacing ghee with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose at ratios of 10–30%, and evaluated their chemical properties in three replicates using AOAC (2011), with statistical data analysis via ANOVA, Duncan’s and t-tests in SPSS (2025).

  Results:

  Tehresarch shows that substituting fat at levels of 10%–30% with HPMC result in a significant decrease in fat and energy density, while keeping protein content and a non-significant development in starches. Sensory analysis similarly show that substituting fat with these HPMC percentages conserved the overall acceptability and taste of Maamoul, while Barazek show a more positive response when substituting higher HPMC percentages.

  Conclusions:

  This research recommends that HPMC could be used as an appropriate fat substitute in the production of healthy old-style sweets while preserving sensory quality.