Blue corn flour in polvorones boosts antioxidants and taste
What it found
Polvorones made with whole blue corn flour had more phenolics and anthocyanins and higher antioxidant activity than wheat flour versions, and people liked them more.
The study was done on the baked goods themselves, not in people.
What they found
Studies in people
Better acceptability
Substituting wheat flour with whole blue corn flour improved overall acceptability, as well as the color and flavor of polvorones.
Other findings
Similar basic composition
All samples had similar bromatological composition.
Higher phenolics and anthocyanins
Polvorones from whole blue corn flour had higher phenolics (837.1 mg gallic acid/kg) and anthocyanins (373.0 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside/kg) than wheat flour-based samples.
Higher antioxidant activity
The higher phenolics and anthocyanins in blue corn polvorones led to higher antioxidant activity compared with wheat flour-based laboratory and commercial samples.
Anthocyanin changes during baking
Turning raw blue corn flour into polvorones degraded some acylated anthocyanins into non-acylated forms.
What the authors conclude
“Our findings demonstrated that it is possible to use whole blue corn in the formulation of polvorones with more health beneficial properties and better consumer acceptability than refined wheat products.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say it is possible to use whole blue corn in polvorones to give more health beneficial properties and better consumer acceptability than refined wheat products.
How it was done
Blue corn is rich in anthocyanins and can be used in baking products. The authors wanted to see how it affects the nutritional and sensory qualities of a traditional confectionery.
They made polvorones with whole blue corn flour and compared them to wheat flour-based laboratory and commercial samples. They measured chemical composition, phenolics, anthocyanins, antioxidant activity, and sensory acceptability.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This study looked at the properties of the baked goods, not at health effects in people.
- It cannot show whether eating these polvorones would improve health or reduce disease risk.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Mexico
The paper
- Title
- Nutraceutical, Physicochemical, and Sensory Properties of Blue Corn polvorones, a Traditional Flour-Based Confectionery
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Vázquez-Carrillo MG, Aparicio-Eusebio LA, Salinas-Moreno Y, Buendía-Gonzalez MO, Santiago-Ramos D (2018). Nutraceutical, Physicochemical, and Sensory Properties of Blue Corn polvorones, a Traditional Flour-Based Confectionery. Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands). doi:10.1007/s11130-018-0692-zPubMed 30284109DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error