ENHANCING NUTRITIONAL AND BIOACTIVE PROPERTIES OF BISCUITS THROUGH THE INCORPORATION OF UMBU AND BURITI PEEL FLOURS: A STUDY ON PHENOLIC CONTENT, ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY, AND DIETARY FIBER ENRICHMENT

The industrialization of umbu and buriti results in residues rich in bioactive compounds and dietary fibers, which can be utilized in industrial applications. In this study, the impacts of partially replacing wheat flour (WF) with umbu peel flour (UPF) and buriti peel flour (BPF) in cream crackers (CC), sweet laminated cookies (SL), and butter cookies (BC) were evaluated. Standard formulations comprised traditional ingredients, with WF being replaced by 5% UPF/5% BPF in CC, 10% UPF in BC, and 2.5% UPF/2.5% BPF in SL. The biscuits were analyzed for total soluble phenolic compounds (TSPC), antioxidant capacity (ORAC), and insoluble (IDF) and soluble dietary fibers (SDF). The inclusion of UPF and BPF led to an increase in TSPC, with levels rising from an average of 66.65 mg GAE/100g in the control samples to 147.13mgGAE/100g in BC, 204.24mgGAE/100g in CC, and 60.65mgGAE/100g in SL. The antioxidant capacity was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the formulations containing UPF and BPF, with values reaching 4232µMTE/100g for BC, 4074µMTE/100g for SL, and 2944µMTE/100g for CC, corresponding to increases of 22.15, 28.68, and 26.15%, respectively. Biscuits enriched with UPF and BPF also exhibited significantly higher IDF and SDF contents (P<0.05) than the control samples. Increases in IDF content were recorded at 299% (BC), 617% (SL), and 21% (CC), with corresponding IDF levels of 5.40%, 14.61%, and 3.46% in the formulations containing UPF and BPF. SDF levels in the enriched biscuits were 1.11% (BC), 0.91% (SL), and 3.09% (CC), representing increases of 221%, 177%, and 243%, respectively, compared to the control samples. The formulation of SL with UPF and BPF resulted in a cookie rich in dietary fiber. The incorporation of UPF and BPF enhanced the bioactive profile, antioxidant capacity, and dietary fiber content of the cookies, demonstrating the potential of these flours for the development of functional foods.