Influence of raw material processing on the release of phenolic compounds in Pupunha (Bactris gasipaes) cookies during in vitro digestion

Bakery products enjoy worldwide popularity, and there is currently a strong emphasis on health and sustainability. As a result, efforts are being made to enrich these products with bioactive compounds from non-conventional sources. However, the impact of processing on the bioaccessibility of these bioactive compounds in bakery products remains underexplored in the literature. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of processing pupunha fruit and its application as flour in cookies, specifically examining the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds (PC) in the final products. Four different processing methods were used to produce pupunha flour (PF): (1) convection drying (74 ºC for 4 hours and 30 min; designated as CD), (2) cooking (20 minutes) followed by convection drying (74 ºC for 4 hours and 30 minutes; CCD), (3) freeze-drying (48 hours; FD), and (4) cooking (20 minutes) followed by freeze-drying (48 hours; CFD). After processing, all flours were applied to produce cookies with 100% PF. The PC was quantified using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, and the digestion of the cookies was carried out according to the INFOGEST method. A significant difference was found in initial PC concentration, where CD, CCD, FD, and CFD cookies had 5.31a, 3.82c, 3.87c, and 4.28b mgGAE/g, respectively. It can be observed that heat application at a specific temperature may modulate the PC concentration within the food matrix. However, when evaluating the PC released during digestion, CD cookies had 118.38c mgGAE/g, while CCD, FD, and CFD cookies had 156.73b, 184.43a, and 163.57b mgGAE/g. In conclusion, it is important to analyze not only the total concentration of phenolic compounds to assess the quality of a functional product like cookies. Potential interactions between components may inhibit the release of bioactive compounds, and processing methods can enhance this parameter.