Inclusive and efficient food systems: effect of process on the functionality of alternative flours (chemical, structural and product digestibility properties)

Abstract

Exotic and native fruits from Amazon region have gained great interest of the scientific community due to its chemical characteristics, and more specifically, due to its high content of bioactive compounds. Among them, it is possible to emphasize the buriti and the pupunha. Despite the nutritional and functional potential of these fruits, their consumption is still incipient when compared to other Brazilian fruits; and in addition, in general the studies characterize the active compounds using the fruit extracts, which can, therefore, to overestimate the levels of bioactive substances. Thus, studies that use conditions closer to the reality of consumption are shown to be extremely necessary. In addition, the change in the daily habits of the population requires that the food industries look for alternatives for the consumption of these products, aiming for example the development of foods with greater potential of use and consumption. In addition to these issues, the standard analytical methods adopted by the chemical industry/research institutions require a high demand for reagents, as well as being costly, requiring high analytical times and generating a lot of toxic waste. On the other hand, near-infrared (NIR), Fourier transform (FTIR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy have been successfully used in the determination of fruit and vegetable quality parameters. Thus, the objectives of this project is: to produce flour from these fruits, in order to apply the Amazonian materials in products with high consumption, such as cookies; characterize the flours produced, in terms of centesimal composition and some active compounds, using classical methodologies; to develop multivariate regression models with spectroscopic data (FTIR, NIR and NMR) that can be used to quantify various quality parameters of these flours in a fast, non-destructive and accurate way. At the end of the study it is expected that new products and characterization techniques could be proposed, representing important technological and economic advancement for the country. (AU)