UTILIZATION OF PEEL CHAYOTE: DEVELOPMENT OF LEATHERS AS A SOURCE OF ACTIVE COMPOUNDS

Chayote peel can contain a variety of active compounds, such as antioxidants, fibers, and minerals. The objective of the present study was to develop leather-type snacks based on chayote peels. Part of the vegetables was donated (discarded) and another part was purchased in local markets in Pirassununga-SP to produce the leathers, forming a single batch. The discarded vegetables were selected as those that did not show damaged structure or microorganism growth. The vegetables were sanitized, and the skin was separated using a manual peeler. The peels were subjected to steam cooking and crushed in a food processor to obtain chayote peel puree (CPP). The leathers were produced with 80 g CPP/100 g leather forming weight (LFW) and 2 and 3 g agar-agar (AA)/100 g LFW. After drying (50 °C for 9h), the leathers were characterized in relation to thickness, water content (WC), and concentration of total phenolic compounds (CTPC). It was found that increasing the AA concentration caused an increase (p<0.05) in the thickness of the leathers (0.228±0.009 and 0.253±0.012 mm). However, it is worth highlighting that the values are within the range reported in the literature for these products. The increase in AA concentration did not cause a significant variation in WC (10.9±0.9 and 10.2±1.0 g/100 g leather dry basis), and the reduced value may contribute to a greater product stability. On the other hand, the increase in AA concentration caused a significant reduction in CTPC (169.2±5.7 to 136.9±7.0 mg GAE/100 g leather dry basis), which could be associated with the interactions between CTPC and AA or extraction process. It was found that the concentration of AA affects the properties of leathers, mainly in relation to phenolic compounds. Chayote peel has demonstrated potential for the development of new products.