Ora-pro-nóbis (Pereskia aculeata) in cassava dice: a physicochemical evaluation

The consumption and cultivation of sustainable, diversified, and low environmental impact crops of Non-Conventional Food Plants (in Portuguese PANC - Plantas Alimentícias Não Convencionais). have been encouraged to rescue healthy eating habits. Ora-pro-nóbis (Pereskia aculeata) is a PANC of interest, and recent studies demonstrate its potential as a candidate for food formulations or protein extraction applications. We aimed to develop a clean label, easy-to-prepare food product, cassava dices containing ora-pro-nóbis flour, and verify the effects on the physicochemical characteristics. The ora-pró-nobis leaves were washed and sanitized with 0.5% chlorine solution and bleached (100 °C, 2 min). After that, the leaves were cut, placed in trays, dried until constant weight (40 °C, 22:30 h), and ground, resulting in ora-pro-nobis flour (F). The dices with F addition (O) were made with cooked cassava (95.8%), refined salt (1.2%), F (1%), onion powder (0.4%), garlic powder (0.6%), white pepper powder (0.2%), and sunflower oil (1%). A standard formulation (S) was prepared without F. The dice were baked in an oven with air circulation at 200 °C for 15 min. Physical-chemical analyses of the dice were evaluated by analysis of variance and comparison of means by Tukey's test at 5% significance. The F and the dice formulations showed the following composition (g/100g): moisture (F 4.66±0.11; S 47.16b±0.87; O 51.39a± 0.95), ashes (F 13.42±0.24; S 2.00b±0.14; O 2.21a±0.16), lipids (F 9.32±0.74; S 0.82a±0.03; O 1.04a ± 0.22), protein (F 17.16±0.40; S 0.86b± 0.10; O 1.20a±0.09), carbohydrates (F 55.45 ± 0.88; S 49.16a±0.91; O 44.16b±0.92) and caloric value (Kcal/100g) (F 352.94±0.80; S 207.45a ± 4.15; O 190.79b±3.84) . There was an increase in the ashes and protein content of the formulation with F since it has high ashes and protein content. On the other hand, a reduction in carbohydrates and caloric value was observed due to the addition of PANC. Therefore, adding ora-pro-nóbis flour can be an alternative to obtain more nutritious products and encourage the consumption of PANC.