*2.3. Color Measurements*

The surface colors of the shortcake biscuits in terms of the L\*, a\*, b\*, ∆E, and browning index (BI) values can be found in Table 3. The appearances of the biscuits are shown in Figure 1. Increasing the amount of insect flour decreased the lightness (L\*) and yellowness (b\*) while increasing the redness (a\*), total color difference (∆E), and browning index. Such results were expected, because mealworm flour is darker than the wheat flour used in these biscuits, hence supplementation with mealworm flour will give products a darker color, because usually the color of a baked product is directly dependent on the colors of the raw materials used. On the other hand, the protein content in mealworm flour was higher than in wheat flour, resulting in a higher degree of Maillard reaction with increased surface redness [33]. Similar results for color darkening were observed by researchers for muffins enriched with mealworm [22] and cricket powder [18], cookies enriched with mealworm powder [21], bread supplemented with insect flour [8,14], and pasta enriched with cricket powder [17]. The highest color difference in the control samples was seen in sample M1, which contained the greatest amount of mealworm flour. As Pauter et al. [18] suggested, consumers tend to see darker bakery products as healthier and containing more fiber or whole grains. Therefore, this color change may increase consumer interest in this type of biscuit. **Sample Protein (% d.w.) Fat (% d.w.) Ash (% d.w.) Carbohydrates (% d.w.) Moisture (%) Energy Value (kcal/100g d.w.) Energy Value (kJ/100g d.w.)** C 9.09 ± 0.46 <sup>c</sup> 27.03 ± 1.48 <sup>a</sup> 0.28 ± 0.04 <sup>b</sup> 63.6 ± 1.63 <sup>a</sup> 6.4 ± 0.23 <sup>a</sup> 534 ± 4.3 <sup>a</sup> 2236 ± 12.8 <sup>a</sup> M1 13.52 <sup>±</sup> 0.6 <sup>a</sup> 27.17 ± 0.39 <sup>a</sup> 0.63 ± 0.06 <sup>a</sup> 58.69 ± 1.85 <sup>b</sup> 4.33 ± 0.09 c 533 ± 4.5 <sup>a</sup> 2233 ± 13.3 <sup>a</sup> M2 11.97 <sup>±</sup> 0.5 <sup>b</sup> 26.97 ± 1.69 <sup>a</sup> 0.7 ± 0.1 a 60.36 ± 1.49 ab 5.3 ± 0.16 <sup>b</sup> 532 ± 4.9 <sup>a</sup> 2227 ± 12 <sup>a</sup> M3 10.82 <sup>±</sup> 0.5 <sup>b</sup> 28.47 ± 0.36 <sup>a</sup> 0.44 ± 0.05 <sup>b</sup> 60.27 ± 1.72 ab 5.97 ± 0.2 <sup>a</sup> 541 ± 3.9 <sup>a</sup> 2262 ± 12.7 <sup>a</sup> C—control sample; M1—modification 1; M2—modification 2; M3—modification 3, Values followed by a different superscript in a column differ significantly (*p* < 0.05). *2.3. Color Measurements* The surface colors of the shortcake biscuits in terms of the L\*, a\*, b\*, ΔE, and browning index (BI) values can be found in Table 3. The appearances of the biscuits are shown in Figure 1. Increasing the amount of insect flour decreased the lightness (L\*) and yellowness (b\*) while increasing the redness (a\*), total color difference (ΔE), and browning index. Such results were expected, because

**Table 3.** Color determinants of biscuits. mealworm flour is darker than the wheat flour used in these biscuits, hence supplementation with mealworm flour will give products a darker color, because usually the color of a baked product is


C—control sample; M1—modification 1; M2—modification 2; M3—modification 3. Values followed by a different superscript in a column differ significantly (*p* < 0.05). \* mean in terms of lightness (L\*) and color (a\*—redness; b\*—yellowness). greatest amount of mealworm flour. As Pauter et al. [18] suggested, consumers tend to see darker bakery products as healthier and containing more fiber or whole grains. Therefore, this color change may increase consumer interest in this type of biscuit.

**Figure 1.** Shortcake biscuits prepared with different amounts of mealworm flour and wheat flour. C control sample; M1—modification 1; M2—modification 2; M3—modification 3. **Figure 1.** Shortcake biscuits prepared with different amounts of mealworm flour and wheat flour. C—control sample; M1—modification 1; M2—modification 2; M3—modification 3.

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