The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of baking air humidity and dough supplementation with freeze-dried aqueous rosemary extract on acrylamide content in shortcrust cookies, as well as on their antioxidant properties and phenolic composition. Shortcrust cookies were baked at 170 °C in dry or humid (90%) air using 0.1, 0.2, or 0.5% of rosemary extract, and were compared to control samples without the extract. Acrylamide concentration in the obtained products ranged from 22.49 to 28.38 µg kg-1. Furthermore, cookies baked in humid air had less acrylamide (by 6% on average) than those baked in dry air, irrespective of extract content. On the other hand, a significant relationship was found between humidity conditions and total phenolic content in the final products. Shortcrust cookies containing 0.5% of rosemary extract and baked in humid air revealed the best antioxidant properties as their total polyphenol content was approx. Three times higher than that in control samples. Furthermore, shortcrust cookies with 0.5% of rosemary extract showed superior DPPH radical scavenging capacity.
Keywords: Acrylamide; DPPH radical scavenging capacity; Redox potential; Total phenolic content.