EVALUATION OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS AND ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY IN BARS MADE WITH CACAO NIBS

The growing demand for healthier foods drives the development of functional products, such as bars with cacao nibs. Nibs are fragments of crushed cacao beans, recognized for their potential health benefits, mainly due to their content of bioactive compounds. This study aimed to develop bars using cacao nibs as the main ingredient and to evaluate the content of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, and the antioxidant capacity of the formulations, varying the concentrations of raw and roasted nibs from Bahia and Espírito Santo. The quantification of total phenolic compounds was performed using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Total flavonoids were determined according to the methodology described by Aryounet-Grand et al. (1994), using aluminum chloride (AlCl₃). Antioxidant capacity was evaluated using the ABTS (2,2-azinobis-3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonate), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), and FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) methods. The bars containing raw nibs showed higher levels of phenolic compounds and flavonoids compared to those with roasted nibs. In the case of cacao from Bahia, a significant difference was observed in the total phenolic compounds of sample F0 (roasted nibs), with 1310.84 mg of gallic acid/100 g of cacao. Sample F80 (with the highest concentration of raw nibs) stood out with 1968.85 mg of gallic acid/100 g. For total flavonoids, no trend of proportional increase with the concentration of raw nibs was observed. The values ranged from 34.04 to 39.26 mg of quercetin/100 g in the Bahia bars, and from 25.69 to 34.35 mg/100 g in those from Espírito Santo. Regarding antioxidant capacity, the bars with the highest concentration of raw nibs (F80) showed the best results: 819.30 µmol TEAC.g⁻¹ (ABTS) and 184.43 µmol TEAC.g⁻¹ (DPPH). Sample F0, containing only roasted nibs, had a lower value in the ABTS method (541.59 µmol TEAC.g⁻¹). However, this pattern was not repeated in the samples from Espírito Santo. Values ranged from 518.09–697.63 µmol TEAC.g⁻¹ (ABTS) and 420.07–681.80 µmol TEAC.g⁻¹ (DPPH). It is concluded that bars with cacao nibs, especially raw ones, are promising as functional products with a high content of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and elevated antioxidant activity.