NUTRIENT-ENRICHED COOKIES FROM UNRIPE MANGO BYPRODUCTS

Global population growth has intensified concerns about food security, highlighting the need for strategies that increase food production while minimizing losses. In this context, rising awareness of food waste and the growing demand for functional foods have created new opportunities for the food industry to develop innovative and sustainable products. The fruit-processing sector, one of the largest generators of agro-industrial waste, produces substantial amounts of non-marketable fruits, peels, and seeds that are discarded. These by-products are rich in nutritionally beneficial compounds, making them promising ingredients for the development of value-added baked goods. Cookies are among the most widely consumed baked goods worldwide; however, many commonly consumed cookies remain low in beneficial compounds. A promising strategy for improving the nutritional quality of cookies is the incorporation of fruit-derived flour. However, reformulation efforts aimed at improving nutritional value often alter the dough’s behavior, resulting in changes in the shape, color, and texture of the baked product, which may ultimately reduce consumer acceptance. This study aimed to produce cookies with different percentages of mango peel flour (MPeF) or mango pulp flour (MPuF) as a partial substitute for wheat flour (WF). To prepare the flour, the unripe fruits of mango ‘Palmer’ were washed in water, sanitized (200 ppm hypochlorite solution for 15 minutes), and rinsed under running water to remove residual chlorine. The pulp and peel were separated by hand and dried in a convection oven. MPeF and MPuF were analyzed for proximate composition, bioactive compounds, and color. Based on a standard cookie formulation, new formulations were developed using MPeF or MPuF to replace WF (7.5%, 10%, and 15%). The cookies were analyzed for spread ratio, spread factor, color, and hardness. MPeF stood out for its higher levels of ash (2.2%), lipids (1.7%), protein (4.5%), fiber (36.6%), and total carotenoids (46.5 μg/g), as well as for its antioxidant activity (390.3 μmol of Trolox/g). Starch was identified as the main component of MPuF (55.2%). Analysis of the cookies' color showed higher browning index and total color difference values in cookies containing MPeF. Cookies with mango flour exhibited a lower spread ratio than the wheat-based formulation. The incorporation of 10% MPeF or MPuF into cookie formulations significantly improved their nutritional quality without adversely affecting their technological properties. Increasing the percentages of mango flours (MPeF or MPuF) led to an increase in cookie hardness, with the highest hardness observed in the product containing 15% MPeF. Partial replacement of WF markedly increased the contents of total carotenoids, dietary fiber, minerals, and antioxidant activity, with the greatest improvements observed in cookies containing MPeF. These findings demonstrate the potential of mango processing by-products as sustainable functional ingredients for the development of nutritionally enhanced bakery products.