ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN PINEAPPLE AND CASHEW BY-PRODUCTS AND EXTRUDED PRODUCTS

The valorisation of agro-industrial by-products, such as fruit pomaces, represents a promising strategy for reducing food waste and promoting the circular economy, while also enabling the development of new ingredients with nutritional and technological potential. These materials can be potential sources of bioactive compounds, dietary fibre, and minerals. And can be used in new formulations using extruded novel products. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the Ca and Mg contents in pineapple pomace flour (PPF) and cashew pomace flour (CPF), as well as extruded pineapple (EPP) and cashew (ECP) flours. The flours were obtained by oven drying at 105 °C and subsequently subjected to the extrusion process. The extruded products were formulated with 45% bagasse flour, 50% soy protein isolate, and 5% vital gluten. The samples were mineralized by microwave-assisted digestion (MWAD), and the essential elements were quantified by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Ca and Mg were the main minerals found in the flours and extrudates Among the flours, PPF had an average calcium content of 253.42 mg/100 g, while CPF had 33.84 mg/100 g. The average magnesium contents were similar, at 100.98 mg/100 g for PPF and 95.24 mg/100 g for CPF. In the extruded products, calcium contents were 188.02 mg/100 g for the pineapple extrudate (EPP) and 89.32 mg/100 g for the cashew-based extrudate (ECP), while magnesium contents were 66.83 and 72.18 mg/100 g, respectively. Thus, calcium was more abundant in the pineapple-based matrices, while magnesium contents were relatively similar between the two non-extruded flours and between the two extruded products. The differences in mineral content between the flours and the extruded formulations may be related to the composition of the ingredients, particularly the inclusion of soy protein isolate and gluten, as well as to the processing conditions. Overall, the results highlight the potential of pineapple and cashew pomace and their respective extruded products as sources of calcium and magnesium and as alternative ingredients for the development of new foods. This approach supports the valorization of agro-industrial byproducts, promoting their utilization and contributing to the circular economy.