Protein Powder Banana

Pancakes
Patricia Quach
DFM 357
San Francisco State
University

Abstract:

About 1 in 133 people have celiac disease (Fasano, 2003), which is an autoimmune

disease in which the small intestine is hypersensitive to gluten, which leads the person to
have a difficulty digesting foods that contain gluten. The experiment that was conducted in
DFM 357 lab regular all purpose flour was substituted for vanilla protein powder in a
standardized banana pancake recipe. There were three tests preformed where we
compared the standardized recipe to alternative proportions of the protein powder to flour
mixture. The experiment was geared toward younger children who could be picky eaters
but have celiac disease. We focused mainly on sweetness and texture regarding the banana
pancakes. From previous knowledge we knew that if we added protein powder to the
pancakes it would change the consistency of the pancakes. We knew that protein attracts
liquid, so we already had a feeling that the pancakes would turn out a lot thinner than the
controlled pancake. When it came down to testing day, the scorecards that we had was
mainly geared towards adolescents, however we did have a lot of taste testers that were
adolescents, and kept the scorecard simple to where it would be easy for an adolescent to
critique the pancakes. There were about four trials runs for the pancakes, which each trial
focusing on a particular proportion of the flour to protein powder mixture. When the
results came out, it turned out that the participants preferred the 50/50 flour to protein
powder ratio the best that received 52% of the votes. We found this quiet interesting, as
the 50/50 pancake was the thinnest pancake of the batches. When reading the comments
from the participants enjoyed the strong banana flavor. The bananas provided the
pancakes with a natural sweetness and that was the most popular with the participants.
The control pancake came in second place with 36% of the participants saying they

enjoyed it, while the 75/25 ratios came in last. With only 8% of the participants saying they
enjoyed this most. The overall experiment was conducted over a sixe week time period.
The results of the experiment were quite shocked as it turned out that 52% of the
participants enjoyed the pancake that had 50% protein powder in it, which was considered
out 100% product. They found that the banana flavor was the boldest in those pancakes
and that the sweetness really shined through when they tasted it. When asked about what
they liked about that pancake the most, the simple said it retained its crispy-ness, and had
the best banana flavor. There could have been some error along the way when doing the
experiment, because the bananas that were used were unfortunately not the same ripeness
throughout the entire experiment. That was the only factor we couldnt control. Another
factor was could have affected the results of the experiment was that the heat of the
pancakes had to be continually altered throughout the cooking process as the pan would
get too hot during certain points of the cooking process and we didnt want the pancakes to
burn on the outside before it finished cooking on the inside. Overall the experiment was a
great success since our 50/50 ratio pancake was the most favored pancake.
Introduction/Purpose:

Celiac disease has an association with some cardiovascular risk factors. Since celiac

disease is inheritable from the parents, there is a chance that adolescents that are at risk
for celiac disease could have potential for some cardiovascular risk factors (Assa et al.,
2016). The only known diagnosis of celiac disease is through a serologic testing and then
confirmed by histopathologic examination of duodenal biopsies (Shannahan, 2017).
Celiac disease is being more common as more humans are starting to get diagnosed
with it. For this experiment we wanted to experiment what would happen if we substituted

all-purpose flour with protein powder. We did hypothesis that the texture of the pancakes
would be different, as it wouldnt be as fluffy as the pancakes made with only all purpose
flour. Protein tends to attract more liquid, and doesnt absorb as much liquid, so when the
all-purpose flour is replaced with the protein flour, we suspected that the batter would be
more liquidity. We were hoping to see if substituting the all-purpose flour with protein
powder if it will change the texture, or the flavor of the pancakes. We unfortunately were
not able to find unflavored protein powder, so we went with Targets Market Pantry Vanilla
Protein Powder. For this specific protein powder, one scoop contained 150 calories, along
with 25g of protein. Majority of the protein powder candidates we were looking at
contained 25g of protein, so we narrowed it done based on price.

The main purpose of the entire experiment was to see if substituting the all-purpose

flour for protein powder would affect the flavor and texture of the pancakes. The main goal
was to see if we could successfully make a pancake that would still taste good and could be
a substitution for children who suffer with celiac disease, or have gluten intolerance.
Review of Literature:

Statistics provided by the University of Chicago Medicine has shown that celiac

disease has affected 3 million Americans. Majority of those diagnosed with celiac disease
are over 20 years of age (Fasano, 2003). With the most recent generation of adolescents,
the rates of picky eater tend to increase. Trying to find foods that will provide the children
with adequate amounts of nutrients and be delicious is a difficult task that lay ahead for the
parents. A study done by Van Der Horst went about to see just how picky eating affects a
childs food intake. Their results showed that picky eaters reacted to texture and would
only eat their favorite food. It seemed to be that texture was one of the biggest concerns for

the parents of picky eaters (Van Der Horst et al., 2016). Keeping in mind that an adolescent
eats with their eyes first, and with their touch second, we had to find ways to keep the
pancakes fluffy, and crispy on the outside. Since we were dealing with banana pancakes we
needed to keep the outside of the pancakes crispy. In order to do that, we cooked the
pancakes on a low to cook the pancakes slowly, to ensure that the outside of the pancakes
got crispy, while the inside was still able to cook fully.

Adolescents being picky eaters and having celiac disease can cause a great deal of

nutritional risks to their health. Due to the fact that the adolescents are picky eaters, it
makes it more difficult for them to follow a gluten-free diet. A study was preformed to find
if the strict gluten free diet induces nutritional imbalances or not (Mariani et al., 1998). The
studied findings showed that the adolescents that followed the gluten free diet worsened
their already nutritionally unbalanced diet. This led the adolescents to have increased
levels of protein and lipids. Monitoring a gluten free diet in adults is challenging enough
since there is gluten is almost everything that is consumed, but to be able to restrict gluten
from an adolescent is even more difficult. Humans are to have gluten in their diet, since
thats the way we were born, but due to this autoimmune defect, some people are unable to
digest the gluten and have to be placed on this diet.

Though our main focus for this experiment was to produce a product that would be

fit for a patient with celiac disease, the modified recipe would also come in handy with
patients that are malnourished and need extra protein supplementation. A study that was
preformed with critically ill patients showed that a standard diet does not provide
adequate amounts of protein to children that are suffering from an illness, and that protein
supplementation is indeed required. Providing the protein supplementation improved the

patients biochemical parameters of protein metabolism (Botran et al., 2011). Our

pancakes would be a great way to supplement the children with protein. There are
adequate amounts of protein in the pancakes as there as protein from the milk, egg, and the
protein powder that is in the recipe.
Method/Design:

For this experiment, we got a standardized banana pancake recipe from

allrecipes.com (Appendix A), and for the first trial we followed the directions and recipe for
how to make the pancake. The standardized recipe that we followed required: 1 cup of allpurpose flour, 1 tablespoon of white sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, teaspoon salt, 1
egg, 1 cup of milk, 2 tablespoon vegetable oil, and 2 ripe bananas. We shifted the flour,
white sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, we mashed the bananas
up until it was as smooth was we could possibly get it. After the banana was mashed, we
added in the egg, milk, vegetable oil, and mixed them together. Once the wet ingredients
were combined, we added the dry ingredients and mixed them together, noting that the
batter would be slightly lumpy. We heated up a pan on the stove on medium to low heat. To
prevent the pancake from sticking we buttered up the pan, and then poured about a cup
of batter onto the hot pan. We waited until bubbles formed on the surface of the pancake
and then flipped it and browned the other side. We continued this process until all of the
batter was used up. When the pancakes were finished we tested them for their wettability
and did a line-spread test. We tested them for wettability because we wanted to see how
much liquid the pancakes can absorb (Haisch, 2016), which indicates how much air
bubbles are in the pancakes and tells us how fluffy the pancakes are. The line-spread test
was done to test for the thickness of the pancakes. (Haisch, 2016). This determines the

texture of the pancakes. The same steps were followed when testing for the ratios of the
protein powder, except for the 50/50 test, we used cup of the protein powder and cup
of the all purpose flour. For the 75/25 test, we used cup of protein powder, and cup of
the all purpose flour. The same methods were used in combining the ingredients and
cooking the pancakes.

For each trial run that was done for the pancakes, we did objective and subjective

testing (Appendix B). Each batch was counted for how many pancakes we were able to
obtain produce. We also tested them for their flavor, texture, fluffiness, and sweetness from
the banana.

The independent variable was the flour & protein powder used for the banana

pancakes. The dependent variable was the flavor and texture of the pancakes. Each
pancake was labeled a number to keep the result as a single-blind test. The control pancake
was #216, the 75% all-purpose flour/25% protein powder ratio was #981, and the 50%
all-purpose flour/50% protein powder ratio was #738. For the testing, we were able to
attain 24 participants to taste the pancakes, and rate them based on their opinions of what
they thought of the pancakes, and if they would eat the pancake again. The participants did
not know what ingredient was altered, other than the fact that there were three samples
laid out in front of them.

During the tasting session, the three variations of the pancakes was laid out in front

of the participants. They had a scorecard that had a likert scale that asked them how the
overall pancake was. They were to also provide some adjectives of what they liked/disliked
about the pancake. On the bottom of the scorecard, they rated the pancakes in the order
that they preferred. From the descriptions that they provided and the ranking of the

pancakes, we would be able to find out which pancake was the one that was preferred and
why.
Results/Discussion:

For our trial runs before the tasting, we were able to run through a batch of each

pancake with its different pancakes. For the objective testing, the pancake batter that was
able to yield the most pancakes was the 75% all-purpose flour / 25% protein powder
which yielded 15 pancakes. For the height and the length of the pancakes, the length of the
pancakes were all the same which were roughly 4 inches long in diameter. The pancake
that turned out the fluffiest and had the highest height was once again the 75% all-purpose
flour / 25% protein powder. When testing for the wettability, the 50% all-purpose flour /
50% protein powder absorbed the most liquid. The 50% all-purpose flour / 50% protein
powder also had the most spread in the line spread test by hitting the 18.5 unit make
within a minute. The 50/50 pancakes did turn out thinnest and were the most heat
sensitive when we were cooking them on the pan.

During the subjective testing of the trail run, of the three samples, our group seemed

to prefer the control the best. With regards to texture and flavor, it was the best. The 75/25
ratio was super fluffy, but the inside of the pancake was very dense. The 50/50 pancake
was a little too think and mushy for our liking.
For this particular experiment, the scorecard that we used was tailored toward if
adolescents were going to participate in the tastings. A copy of the scorecard is located in
the appendix. On the day of the taste testing, we were able to collect the scorecards from 25
participants. Their ages ranged from 18-75, with an average age of 32.
Table 1: Gender of Participants

Gender:
Number of Participants:
Male
18
Female
9
Unknown
5

Table 2: Results of the tasting based on Preference:
Pancake #:
# Participants preferred:
% Preferred:
# 738
13 / 25
52%
# 216
9 / 25
36%
# 981
2 / 25
8%
Did not rank
1/25
4%

Table 3: Evaluation Comments
Pancake #:
Comments:
216 (control)
More banana flavor, best, moist, yummy, sweet, good texture,
Bomb, great, soft
981 (75/25)
Chewy, subtle banana flavor, slightly less sweet
738 (50/50)
Most traditional pancake flavor, balanced flavors, sweet, egg
flavor, too dense, lightly crisp edge, moist, did not like
appearance

Picture A: Our pancake set up station (Left to

right) #738(50/50), #981(75/25), #216(control)

Picture B: A close up of pancake #981: 75% allpurpose flour / 25 % protein powder

Picture C: Close up of pancake #738: 50% allpurpose flour/ 50% protein powder

Picture D: Close up of pancake #216: Control

Based on the above results from table 2, it shows that most of the participants
preferred the pancake that had a 50/50 ratio of the all-purpose flour/protein powder
mixture. The results stated above showed that the participants thought about the pancakes.

It seemed that not a lot of comments was made regarding the 75/25 pancake. Weve
included the pictures above, which showed the appearance of the pancakes, for you to get a
better visual of the color and texture of the pancakes.
Conclusions:

Overall the experiment came out a success. We were able to successfully produce a

pancake with protein powder and did not have to compromise the texture or flavor of the
pancake that much. The result of the pancakes was still edible. We were proud that the
participants chose the 50/50 ratio pancake as their favorite because that pancake had the
most protein powder in the recipe. Although some of the pancake pieces were mushy and
soft, we just feel that could be the fact that they were sitting out for a while, waiting to be
tasted.

Some errors that could have occurred this process would be that we had to adjust

the heat with every pancake. We couldnt keep it at a single temperature throughout the
cooking process because the pan would get too hot and the pancakes would end up burning
on the outside before the insides were finished cooking. Another error that could have
affected the pancakes was that for some trial runs, we used very ripe bananas, which
contributed to the sweetness of the pancakes. The ripeness of the bananas was a factor that
we could not control when we were making our pancakes.

Bibliography:
Assa, A., Frenkel-Nir, Y., Tzur, D., Katz, L., & Shamir, R. (2016). Cardiovascular Risk Factors
in Adolescents With Celiac Disease. Journal Of Pediatric Gastroenterology And Nutrition,
1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/mpg.0000000000001487
Botrn, M., Lpez-Herce, J., Menca, S., Urbano, J., Solana, M., & Garca, A. (2011). Enteral
Nutrition in the Critically Ill Child: Comparison of Standard and Protein-Enriched
Diets. The Journal Of Pediatrics, 159(1), 27-32.e1.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2011.02.001
Fasano,. (2003). Celiac Disease Facts and Figures (1st ed.). Chicago. Retrieved from
https://www.cureceliacdisease.org/wpcontent/uploads/341_CDCFactSheets8_FactsFigures.pdf
Haisch, Kate. (2016). Objective Evaluation [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from lecture notes
online website: https://ilearn.sfsu.edu/ay1617/course/view.php?id=1470
Mariani, P., Viti, M., Montouri, M., La Vecchia, A., Cipolletta, E., Calvani, L., & Bonamico, M.
(1998). The Gluten-Free Diet: A Nutritional Risk Factor for Adolescents with Celiac
Disease?. Journal Of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition, 27(5), 519-523.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00005176-199811000-00004
Shannahan, S. & Leffler, D. (2016). Diagnosis and Updates in Celiac Disease. Gastrointestinal
Endoscopy Clinics Of North America, 27(1), 79-92.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.giec.2016.08.011
van der Horst, K., Deming, D., Lesniauskas, R., Carr, B., & Reidy, K. (2016). Picky eating:
Associations with child eating characteristics and food intake. Appetite, 103, 286-293.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.04.027

Appendix:
A: Control Recipe:
Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed
Directions
1. Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together
egg, milk, vegetable oil and bananas.
2. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter
onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are
golden brown on both sides; serve hot.

B: Trial Runs:
Trail #1: September 23, 2016
Lab conditions: this portion of lab was conducted in Burke Hall 406. The room was average
temperature. All lab partners present and accounted for.
Purpose: The purpose of this lab was to become familiar with making the control version of our
recipe and conducting objective tests. .
Experimental procedures:
a. All-purpose flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt was combined into one bowl. The
ingredients were sifted to give the pancakes a fluffier texture.
b. In a separate bowl, bananas were mashed and milk, vegetable oil, and egg was added.
c. Flour mixture was stirred into banana mixture, creating a lumpy batter.

d. A pan was heated to medium high heat and lubricated with butter. Pancake batter was
poured in cup servings for each pancake. Pancakes were then flipped over when the
sides were lifted and bubbling was present on the uncooked surface of the pancakes.
e. 50 ml of batter was used to conduct the line test for spread ability for one minute.
f. For the wettability test one pancake was weighed pre and post immersion of water to
account for the fluid absorbed in the pancake
Results/discrepancies:
a. We ended up having to switch from medium high heat to medium low heat because the
high temperature would burn the butter and in turn burn the batter. When switch to
medium low heat, batter turned a golden brown. We will be switching to a thinner nonstick pan that does not retain as much heat as the thicker pan we were originally using.
b. Sifting gave the pancake a fluffy texture. Presence of banana gave pancakes banana
flavor and high moisture content. Product was a golden brown color. Squishy and tender
to the touch. Bounces back when poked; show elasticity. Clean, pliable break. Uniformity
of interior. Big air pockets present inside. Moist and chewy. Smells like banana bread but
not as strong.
c. For the spread ability line test, the batter reached the ten unit mark within one minute.
d. This recipe yielded around 14 cup pancakes
e. Pancakes rose to approximately 0.5 ml. Diameter measured on long sides were 3-4 inches
f. Pancake weighed 40.7 grams pre-immersion. Pancake weighed 62.4 grams postimmersion. Water immersion lasted for 1 minute. Difference was 21.7 grams of water.
Trail #2: September 30, 2016
Lab conditions: lab was conducted in Burke Hall 406. The temperature of the room is room
temperature. All lab partners present and accounted for.
Purpose: The purpose of this lab was to work on our control version of our recipe, and then
modify it for the 50/50 product. For these two products, we conducted objective tests.
Experimental procedures: (recipe was halved):
a. All-purpose flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt were combined into one bowl.
The ingredients were sifted to give the pancakes a fluffier texture.
b. In a separate bowl, bananas were mashed and milk, vegetable oil, and egg was added.
c. Flour mixture was stirred into banana mixture, creating a lumpy batter.
d. A pan was heated to medium high heat and lubricated with butter. A smaller non-stick
pan was used for this procedure this time because it retained less heat Pancake batter was
poured in cup servings for each pancake. Pancakes were then flipped over when the
sides were lifted and bubbling was present on the uncooked surface of the pancakes.
e. 50 ml of batter was used to conduct the line test for spread ability for one minute.
f. For the wettability test one pancake was weighed pre and post immersion of water to
account for the fluid absorbed in the pancake
g. Repeat steps a-f for the 50/50 recipe. We halved the amount of flour and replaced it with
protein powder, but the rest of the recipe stayed the same.
Results/Discrepancies:
a. Control Pancakes:

I.

The product was no longer raw in the middle. We switched to a non-stick pan that
retained less heat.
II.
Subjective observations: The pancake was golden brown on the outside and a
pale cream color on the inside with aeration present. Banana smell was of the
same intensity as the last control product. Texture-wise the product breaks off
cleanly, is squishy on the inside, is a little sticky because of the banana, and less
pressure to chew than last control, softer, mushier
III.
The pancake rose to about 0.3 mm. The pancake was 4 inches long in diameter.
IV. For the Spread-ability line test, the batter reached the 12-unit mark within one
minute.
V. The pancake weighed 49.2 grams pre-immersion. The pancake weighted 55 grams
post-immersion. Water immersion lasted for one minute. Difference was 5.8
grams of water.
b. 50/50 Pancakes:
I.
The batter for this experimental product was thin and was less viscous than the
control batter. There was difficulty flipping these pancakes due to the thin
consistency. The end result ended up with a floppier pancake. We noticed
however that the longer the pancake batter sat, the fluffier the pancake became
while cooking it.
II.
Subjective observations: The pancake appeared golden brown, flat, and thin.
There was a vanilla scent originating from the protein powder masking the banana
smell partially. The texture was the same as the control, except that it was more
pliable because of the thinness and lack of aeration. A hint of vanilla flavor was
present leaving the taste of banana less intense. The middle was squishy as
opposed to the crunchy, bread-like exterior.
III.
The pancake rose to about 0.3 mm, which is about the same as the original
pancake. It was also 4 inches in diameter
IV. For the spreadability test, the batter reached the 18.5 unit mark within one minute.
V. The pancake weighed 40.1 grams pre-immersion. The pancake weighted 49 grams
post-immersion. Water immersion lasted for one minute. Difference was 8.9
grams of water.
Trial #3: October 21, 2016
Lab condition: lab was conducted in Burke Hall 406. All lab partners present and accounted for.
Environment was room temperature and normal humidity.
Purpose: The purpose of this lab was to produce a scorecard relevant to our demographic,
children. The 50/50 product, now used as the experimental group, and a 75/25 will be modified
and cooked. For these products, we conducted the spreadability line test and the wettability test.
Experimental procedure:
a. For the 75/25 experimental group, dry ingredients including all-purpose flour, protein
powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt were combined and sifted into a bowl.
b. Two bananas were mashed in a bowl. One beaten egg, milk, and vegetable oil was added
to the bananas.
c. The dry ingredients were gradually incorporated and mixed into the wet banana mixture
creating a lumpy batter.
d. The batter was cooked in a pan with butter over low to medium low heat. Pancakes were
flipped when bubbles were present and the batter had risen.

e. 50 ml of batter was used to conduct the line test for spreadability for one minute.
f. For the wettability test one pancake was weighed pre and post immersion in water to
account for the fluid absorbed in the pancake
g. Steps a-f were repeated for the 50/50 recipe
Results:
a. 75/25 Pancakes:
I.
The pan we used caused us to continually manipulate the heat since more heat
was retained in this pan. Heat manipulation was done so that the pancakes would
not burn.
II.
15 pancakes were produced from 1 batch of batter.
III.
Subjective observations: The pancakes were golden brown on the outside. There
is a strong banana aroma. The banana scent masks the vanilla protein scent. The
pancakes are soft and very fluffy and a little squishy. It is very moist due from the
bananas. It melts in your mouth. Crispy on the outside. Dense consistency.
Slightly sweet.
IV. The pancake rose to about 0.6 mm. The pancake was 4 inches long in diameter.
V. For the Spread-ability line test, the batter reached the 13.5 unit mark within one
minute.
VI. The pancake weighed 46.3 grams pre-immersion. The pancake weighed 59.7
grams post-immersion. Water immersion lasted for one minute. The difference in
weight was 13.4 grams.
Trial #4: October 21, 2016
Lab condition: lab was conducted in Burke Hall 406. All lab partners present and accounted for.
Environment was room temperature and normal humidity.
Purpose: The purpose of this lab was to gain better control in making the 50/50 product. The
spread ability line test and wettability test was conducted for this product.
Experimental procedure:
a. The 50/50 experimental product. One half cup of all-purpose flour, one half cup of
vanilla protein powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt were combined and sifted into a
bowl.
b. Two bananas were mashed in a bowl, and milk, an egg, and vegetable oil were added to
the bananas
c. The dry ingredients were slowly incorporated and mixed into the dry ingredients to make
a lumpy batter.
d. The pancakes were cooked with unsalted butter over medium low heat.
e. 50 mL of batter was used to conduct a line spread test.
f. One pancake was used for a wettability test. The pancake was weighed pre-immersion
and post-immersion of water to observe how much liquid was absorbed into the pancake.
Results:
a. The pancakes were cooked over medium-heat. These pancakes were more difficult to flip
in the pan. This recipe yielded 12 pancakes.
b. Subjective observations:
I.
Appearance: not very pleasing to the eye, kind of burnt looking (possibly because
of the protein? overall lighter color with more burnt spots compared to the other
pancakes, a little bit of a sheen from the butter

II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.

Texture: clean break, no crumbles, floppy, better consistency

Mouth feel: softy and chewy from the banana, crispy on edge, moist, fluffy bite
Flavor: cant taste the protein powder, strong banana flavor
Smell: banana and butter, no vanilla smell
The pancake was approximately 4 inches in diameter and rose to 0.3 mm.
For the spread-ability line test, the batter reached the 13.5 unit mark within one
minute.
When conducting the wettability test, the pancake weighed 44.4 g pre-immersion.
The post-immersion weight was 59.1 g after 1 minute.