Defatted wheat germ was used to substitute wheat flour by 5–15% to produce cookies enriched with protein, fat, sugar and minerals. The effects of different level of substitution of wheat flour by defatted wheat germ and dough moisture content (20–24%) on hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) formation in cookies were investigated. Colour parameters (L*, a*, and b*) were also measured, total colour difference (ΔE) and browning index (BI) were calculated and their correlations with HMF content were

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... The substitution of wheat flour by defatted wheat germ led to a higher HMF content compared to control cookies (P < 0.05). However, its formation was more strongly influenced by the dough moisture content than by the level of substitution. HMF content is positively correlated to the a* (r = 0.890; P < 0.01), b* (r = 0.605; P < 0.01) and BI (r = 0.710; P < 0.01) values, and negatively correlated to the L* (r = –0.624; P < 0.01). Results of the HMF formation and the correlation between HMF content and colour parameters were confirmed by the PCA analysis.