The Influence of Palm Oil Addition on Sunflower Halva Stability and Texture

Abstract

Halva is one of the most popular food products of Middle Eastern and North African countries. Worldwide, the most known halva contains roasted sesame seeds, while usually in Eastern European countries the most appreciated is sunflower halva. However, even if sunflower halva is an appreciated product, it has currently a quality below the expectations of the new generation of consumers. Sunflower halva main issue is caused by the oil which separates at the surface during storage, determining a low commercial aspect of the product. Thus, the aim of this work was to assess the influence of palm oil addition on sunflower halva stability and texture. Five samples containing different oil percentages [w/w] (1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%) were prepared, as well as a control sample prepared using the standard recipe (no palm oil added). The texture of all samples was analyzed by an instrumental method, while the colloidal stability was determined by a gravimetric technique during 40 days of storage at two different temperatures (1-2ºC and 15-20ºC). After the storage test at 1-2oC, there were not significant differences between the samples, for all palm oil containing samples as well as for control the percentages of separated oil being below 0.6%. With respect to the control sample, the halva samples containing 1%, 4% and 5% of palm oil showed a decrease in their stability, while samples containing 2% and 3% showed an improved stability (3.44% and 1.78% of separated oil). During this study it was established that the sample containing 3% palm oil was the most favorable, regarding its textural properties, as well as its colloidal stability.

Improving Sunflower Halva Stability and Texture by Controlling Tahini Particle Size Distribution

“…Recently, our group Mureşan et al (2013) had reviewed sunflower halva production technology and its quality alterations, stressing the importance of research on this product. A facile available solution was rapidly tried (Mureșan et al, 2014a), by the addition of a saturated fat, which allowed the development of a network structure and immobilizing the free oil. The optimum sample in terms of stability and texture contained 3% palm oil, the study revealing encouraging results.…”

Preliminary Results for Improving the Colloidal Stability of Sunflower Tahini and Halva Products by Wax Based Oleogelation Mechanism

“…The influence on the colloidal stability of the different proportions of the palm oil addition in the sunflower halva was evaluated by Mureșan et al, (2014b). The samples were stored for 40 days at two different temperatures (1-2 °C and 15-20 °C).…”

“…The addition of different ingredients is explored in order to diminish these inconveniencies because considering the new consumers trends aiming high quality and elaborated products, this issue becomes detrimental causing low product marketability and lack in demand of consumers (Mureșan et al, 2015a). The utilization of less than 3% palm oil in the halva composition for instance, showed an improved texture (Mureșan et al, 2014b). Emulsifiers such as the 1:1 mixture of sorbitan tristearate (STS) and sorbitan monopalmitate (SMP) demonstrated efficiency in preventing oil separation in Turkish halva during storage (Guneser and Zorba, 2014).…”

Restriction of oil migration in tahini halva via organogelation

“…This desirable halva structure is mainly formed as a result of the physical interactions between tahini particles and sugar fibres. Naturally, tahini halva contains an important amount of sesame oil (57–65%) that consists mainly of unsaturated fatty acids (37–49% oleic and 35–47% linoleic acid) and is in liquid form even at temperatures lower than room temperatures . Halva stability is commonly affected by the amount of tahini as well as sesame oil, hence; manufacturers may encounter oil based problems during both processing and shelf life of tahini halva.…”

“…In literature, food additives such as hydrocolloids, stabilizers, hydrogenated fats, emulsifiers, and their mixtures are reported to be effective in the prevention of oil migration problems in tahini halva production . These additives are palm oil, glycerol, soy protein, gelatine, lecithin, pectin, gum arabic and CaCl 2 , sorbitan tristearate (STS), sorbitan monopalmitate (SMP) and their combinations , palm oil , sesame seed fibres with emulsifiers , soapwort root extract and glycyrrhizin . However, these additives not only increase products costs, but are also not sufficiently effective in preventing the oil migration problem.…”