Quality Characteristics and Antioxidatnt Activities of Milk Ganache Chocolate added with Pecan Powder

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical quality characteristics and antioxidant activities of ganache with pecan powders being an antioxidant. Ganache was made by adding 0%, 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12% to milk chocolate. According to the results, the pH (p<0.05) and the moisture content (p<0.001) of the ganache decreased significantly with the addition of pecan powder. The sugar content was low in the 12% and there were significant differences among the samples (p<0.01). In the chromaticity determination, L-value and b-value increased while and a-values decreased as the concentration of pecan powder increased. The hardness, cohesiveness and gumminess of the ganache decreased with an increase in the amount of pecan powder. The total polyphenol contents were higher than those of the control and increased proportionally to the pecan powder. Antioxidant effects, radical scavenging activities, were significantly higher in ganache with pecan powder than in the control (p<0.001). These results suggest that pecan powder may be a useful ingredient in ganache to improve the quality of bioactive compounds, and antioxidant potential.