Baru (Dipteryx alata Vog.) agro-industrial by-products as a nutritive and healthy ingredient in brownie formulation

Abstract

The baru (Dipteryx alata Vog.) fruit stands out among the fruits native to the Cerrado for its high agri-food potential, and it consists of a thin peel covering the pulp and a woody endocarp coating the nut. During the extraction process of baru nut or its oil, the peel, pulp, and partially defatted nut are usually discarded or used as animal feed. However, these by-products are rich in proteins, dietary fibers, and bioactive compounds. Food preparations like brownies are attractive and popular despite having a high energy density and a low phytochemical content. Thus, this study developed nutritious brownie formulations using baru food ingredients [BFI: a mixture of partially defatted nut flour (DBF) with baru peel and pulp flour (BPF)]. Three formulations were tested: SBF - standard brownie made with wheat flour; BBF1 - brownie made by replacing wheat flour with BFI1 (50% DBF + 50% BPF); and BBF2 - brownie made by replacing wheat flour with BFI2 (75% DBF + 25% BPF). The chemical composition and functional properties of the brownies were evaluated. The addition of baru by-products in the formulations resulted in products with higher contents of protein, dietary fiber, phenolic compounds, and greater antioxidant capacity than the standard brownie. Therefore, the use of baru food ingredients in food formulations is indicated to design new food products with improved nutritional quality and nutraceutical properties.