Beetroot bonbon: development, proximate composition, sensory analysis and nutritional labeling of traditional and vegan version

Brazil discards about 20 tons of food waste annually. Using food in an integral way is an alternative to reduce waste. This study aimed to develop and characterize two chocolates filled with whole beetroot, one of which is vegan, due to the potential of the veganism niche. The traditional bonbon was made with 50% semisweet chocolate and beet brigadeiro filling, while the vegan one used 75% chocolate and beet brigadeiro with condensed milk from homemade cashew nuts. Microbiological analyses were carried out to ensure the standard in accordance with IN 161/2022, with satisfactory results. The centesimal composition was determined using the AOAC methods, in duplicate. Sensory analysis of global acceptance and attributes was evaluated with a seven-point hedonic scale and purchase intention was evaluated with a 3-point scale, compared to 54 untrained participants.  The statistical analysis of the physicochemical results was performed by the ANOVA test and the results of the sensory analysis by the independent sample T-test, both with a confidence interval of 95%. The Nutritional Labeling of products was created based on RDC 429/2020 and IN 75/2020. The traditional and vegan samples, respectively, presented approximately, on a dry basis,  similar levels of lipids (16.2 and 14.8  g/100g), but were statistically different in relation to ash content (1.98 and 1.24  g/100g), carbohydrates (74.45 and 72.71 g/100g) and proteins (7.3 and 11.3 g/100g), mainly due to the use of condensed nut milk used in the vegan version