Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Technologia Alimentaria

Background. A microwave susceptor is a device that alters heating patterns, making it more similar to con­ventional heating. Therefore, the novelty of this research is the use of a new susceptor, which was used to investigate its effects on the thermophysical properties of cupcakes baked in a microwave.

Materials and methods. Cupcakes were baked in a microwave with a susceptor at different power levels (150, 300, 450, and 600 W). The effect of a susceptor on baking rate, moisture loss, and quality was investi­gated during the baking process. It was then compared to baking in a microwave without a susceptor at the same operational power as susceptor baking and conventional baking, but at different operational tempera­tures (140, 160, 180, and 200°C).

Results. The time taken to reach the final processing decreased with power. Among the three methods (2.5, 2.6, and 39.2 minutes for microwave susceptor, microwave, and conventional baking, respectively), the cup­cake processed at higher operational power and with a microwave susceptor took the shortest time. Increasing the power of the microwave susceptor also reduced density and processing time, and increased weight loss and porosity. In addition, the color change and browning index (BI) increased at a higher operational power, and microwave susceptor heating was utilized.

Conclusions. By employing this new approach, it is possible to combine the benefits of both microwave technology (reduced time and energy consumption) and conventional baking methods (enhanced browning and reduction of certain quality issues).