The purpose of this study was to evaluate the storage characteristics of macarons
following storage under a range of conditions. Thus, the macarons were stored
under three different sets of conditions, namely refrigeration (4°C),
room temperature defrosting after freezing (−20→25°C), and
refrigeration defrosting after freezing (−20→4°C), fillings
were added during freezing. The volume, moisture content, and texture of each
sample was determined, and sensory evaluations were conducted to identify the
quality characteristics during storage. More specifically, in the case of the
frozen samples, the volume was maintained at the beginning of the storage
period, while in the refrigerated sample, the volume was maintained in the
latter part of the storage period. In addition, the moisture content increased
under all three conditions, and after three weeks, the highest moisture content
was observed for the sample defrosted in the refrigerator after freezing.
Examination of the textual properties (i.e., hardness, chewiness, and gumminess)
showed increased values in the refrigerated sample, and reduced values in the
frozen samples, whereby defrosting in the refrigerator gave the lowest value. In
the sensory test, the overall acceptability was the highest for the sample
defrosted at room temperature, resulting in the highest scores relating to
color, nutty flavor, and nutty taste. Based on these results, it appears that
when long-term storage is required, freezing in the presence of filling is
considered optimal.