REUTILIZATION OF RAMÓN SEED (Brosimum alicastrum Sw.) STARCH ISOLATION BY-PRODUCT IN SNACK FORMULATION: IN VITRO DIGESTIBILITY ASSESSMENT

The snack market is one of the largest and fastest-growing food markets worldwide. Snack consumption has important dietary implications and may have either positive or negative effects depending on the nutritional composition of the products. Consumers increasingly prefer products with reduced sugar content, gluten-free formulations, or functional benefits, such as high protein and fiber content. Previously, our team formulated a snack (S) containing oatmeal, amaranth, date paste, almond butter, egg white, cocoa, a non-caloric sweetener, and a Ramón seed non-starch concentrate (RSNSC) obtained as a by-product from starch isolation, which exhibited high fiber (16.3%) and protein (9.3%) contents. A control snack (C) was prepared using the same ingredients but without RSNSC. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of RSNSC incorporation on the in vitro digestibility, digestible starch fractions, and apparent glycemic index (aGI) of the snack. Total starch (TS) and resistant starch (RS) contents were determined using enzymatic colorimetric methods. In vitro digestibility was evaluated through starch hydrolysis kinetics using a sequential digestive model, and digestible starch fractions were calculated according to the Englyst procedure. The apparent glycemic index was estimated using the Granfeldt equation. The formulated snack (S) had a lower total starch content (20.3 ± 0.9%) and a higher resistant starch content (1.6 ± 0.02%) than the control snack (C) (21.8 ± 0.5% and 1.4 ± 0.02%, respectively). Lower starch hydrolysis was observed in S at all time points than C, reaching a maximum of 23.1% at 360 min. Snack S was characterized by lower rapidly digestible starch (RDS) and slowly digestible starch (SDS) fractions (24.4 ± 0.4% and 27.0 ± 1.5%, respectively) and a higher fraction of available resistant starch (AR) (48.6 ± 1.7%) than C (31.2 ± 1.4%). Finally, the aGI of S was lower (24.0) than that of C (29.4). Overall, these results show that incorporating Ramón seed non-starch concentrate modified the snack's digestibility profile by increasing resistant starch and the AR fraction while reducing the rapidly and slowly digestible starch fractions, suggesting a more gradual release of glucose. Furthermore, the increased AR fraction may serve as a substrate for colonic microbiota and exert potential prebiotic effects, with possible benefits for consumer health. This type of snack represents a promising functional food alternative for the growing snack market, particularly for health-conscious consumers and individuals seeking greater control over their glycemic response.