INFLUENCE OF PROCESSING METHODS APPLIED TO BABASSU MESOCARP FLOUR ON THE BIOACTIVE COMPOSITION AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF COOKIES

Cookies are widely consumed products, and the incorporation of flours rich in bioactive
compounds represents a promising strategy to enhance their nutritional value.
Babassu (Attalea speciosa) mesocarp flour is a promising ingredient for developing
value-added bakery products due to its high content of starch, dietary fiber, minerals,
and phenolic compounds, as well as its strong antioxidant activity. However, the effects
of babassu mesocarp flour (BMF) processing on the bioactive composition of BMF-
based products remain poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the influence
of flour processing on the bioactive properties of cookies prepared with 100% BMF.
Babassu mesocarp flours were produced by convective drying of babassu mesocarp
(75 °C, 8 h) (BMF-CD) and freeze-drying (24 h) (BMF-FD). In order to evaluate the
effect of previously cooking the fruit, babassu was cooked for 15 min before drying,
followed by convective drying (BMF-C-CD) and freeze-drying (BMF-C-FD). Total
phenolic compounds were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, condensed
tannins by the vanillin-HCl assay in methanol, and antioxidant activity by the ABTS,
FRAP, and ORAC assays. The data were analyzed by ANOVA, followed by Tukey's
test (p < 0.05). Flour processing significantly influenced the bioactive composition of
the cookies. Cookies prepared with BMF-FD showed the highest total phenolic content
(43.94 a ± 3.08 mg GAE/g), condensed tannins (25.10 a ± 5.16%), and FRAP antioxidant
activity (6.29 a ± 0.65 µmol TE/g). Cookies produced with BMF-CD presented
intermediate phenolic content (37.92 b ± 4.76 mg GAE/g) and did not differ significantly
from BMF-FD for condensed tannins (22.13 a ± 4.17%) and FRAP activity (6.58 a ± 0.48
µmol TE/g). Previous cooking significantly reduced phenolic compounds, condensed
tannins and FRAP activity in both cooked treatments BMF-C-CD (17.10 c ± 1.43 mg
GAE/g, 9.05 b ± 1.16%, and 4.49 b ± 0.29 µmol TE/g, respectively) and BMF-C-FD
(18.12 c ± 1.01 mg GAE/g, 9.64 b ± 1.87%, and 4.30 b ± 0.29 µmol TE/g, respectively).
The reduction in condensed tannins may be beneficial, considering their recognized
antinutritional effects. No significant differences were observed among treatments for
antioxidant activity measured by the ABTS and ORAC assays, whereas FRAP
detected significant processing-induced differences. Overall, flour processing markedly
influenced the phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of BMF cookies. These
findings support selecting processing strategies to preserve bioactive compounds in
BMF cookies.
Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank CAPES (Finance Code 001),
CNPq (Productivity Grant [302172/2025-4] and 444676/2024-4) and FAPESP for the
financial support (2024/13091-9; 2025/05241-3; 2025/16368-4; 2025/23120-9).