DEVELOPMENT OF COOKIES WITH MONGUBA SEEDS (Pachira aquatica Aubl.): A STRATEGY FOR VALUING REGIONAL SOCIOBIODIVERSITY

Unconventional Food Plants (PANCs) stand out as promising alternatives for food diversification, nutritional enrichment, and the valorization of sociobiodiversity. Monguba (Pachira aquatica Aubl.) is a Latin American native PANC whose seeds possess high nutritional value, being rich in lipids and antioxidants, yet remain little-known and underutilized, highlighting the need for research into their application. This study aimed to develop cookies with the addition of monguba seed flour as a partial replacement for wheat flour (25% and 50%) and to evaluate their proximate and energy composition compared to a traditional formulation. Seeds collected at the Nutrir Community Garden Laboratory, Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte were cleaned, sanitized in a 200 ppm sodium hypochlorite solution for 15 minutes, roasted at 200 °C for 35 minutes, peeled, and stored at -20 °C. To produce the flour, samples were thawed at <5 °C, roasted at 200 °C for 10 minutes, processed in a blender, and sieved. The base cookie recipe underwent partial replacement of wheat flour at proportions of 25% (A) and 50% (B). Because formulation B exhibited excellent technological viability and allowed for the complete replacement of butter due to the seed's high lipid content, it was selected for further analysis. Proximate analyses of traditional (T) and 50% monguba (M) cookies were performed in triplicate using Adolfo Lutz Institute methods for moisture (oven at 105 °C), ash (muffle furnace at 550 °C), proteins (Kjeldahl, N × 6.25), lipids (Soxhlet with ether), total carbohydrates (by difference), and caloric value (Atwater factors). Results obtained for formulations T and M were, respectively: moisture of 4.36 ± 0.17 g/100 g and 4.38 ± 0.08 g/100 g; ash of 1.06 ± 0.02 g/100 g and 1.75 ± 0.05 g/100 g; proteins of 5.98 ± 0.22 g/100 g and 8.03 ± 0.41 g/100 g; lipids of 28.73 ± 0.01 g/100 g and 22.67 ± 0.93 g/100 g; total carbohydrates of 59.86 g/100 g and 63.17 g/100 g; and energy value of 522.02 kcal/100 g and 488.80 kcal/100 g. The incorporation of monguba flour increased mineral and protein contents, reflecting the nutritional density of the seed matrix. Furthermore, the reduction in total lipids and caloric density in M occurred because the seed's natural oleaginous profile rendered added butter unnecessary. The preservation of low moisture content in both formulations was fundamental to maintaining the characteristic crispness of the cookies. It is concluded that the use of monguba seeds is promising and viable for innovation in bakery products, encouraging the sustainable utilization of underutilized plants and the valorization of regional sociobiodiversity.

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001.