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J. N. CASEY, Reserach - Lecithin Technical Support, Central Soya Company, Inc. USA, 1946 West Cook Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46818

This paper describes the use of liposomes for improving flavor development in microwaveable cakes. The liposomes were prepared with phosphatidylcholine (PC)-enriched lecithin fractions. The fractionated lecithins were dispersed into a solution containing the flavor to be tested, and then high-shear mixed until the desired liposomes were formed. Upon formation of the liposomes, a significant amount of the flavor solution was encapsulated into the core of the liposomes.

The encapsulated flavor was tested versus the neat flavor in a microwaveable cake formulation. The objective of the test was to determine if the encapsulated flavor produced a better tasting cake than the neat flavor. A microwave cake formulation was used as the model system because during the quick baking time in the microwave, flavor development must occur rapidly. It was also hypothesized that moisture loss during microwaving would strip more of the neat flavor from the cake than the encapsulated flavor. The use of a microwave cake formulation also allowed for more rapid production of test cakes.

The finished microwave cakes were evaluated by a Duo-Trio Difference Test to determine whether any differences in flavor could be detected. Once it was confirmed that detectable differences were present, the panelists were asked to rank the cakes by strength of flavor. Both lecithin fractions produced cakes that had significantly stronger flavors than the cake containing the neat flavor, confirming that better flavor development occurred with the encapsulated flavors than with the neat flavor.

The results of this work suggest that liposome-encapsulated flavors may be useful tools for improving the flavors of baked products.