Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) grain flour: New ingredient with bioactive, nutritional and physical-chemical properties for food applications
Atacy Maciel de Melo Cavalcante,
Anely Maciel de Melo,
Acsa Victoria Ferreira da Silva,
Genésio José da Silva Neto,
Rafaela Cristina Turola Barbi,
Mônica Ikeda,
Gisela Benatti Silva,
Caroline Joy Steel,
Osvaldo Soares da Silva
Affiliations
Atacy Maciel de Melo Cavalcante
Department of Food Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Technology Center, 58400-000, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil; Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Pernambuco, 55560-000, Barreiros, PE, Brazil
Anely Maciel de Melo
Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Paraná, 81531-990, Curitiba, PR, Brazil; Corresponding author at: Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Paraná, 81531-990 Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Acsa Victoria Ferreira da Silva
Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Pernambuco, 55560-000, Barreiros, PE, Brazil
Genésio José da Silva Neto
Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Paraná, 81531-990, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Rafaela Cristina Turola Barbi
Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Paraná, 81531-990, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Mônica Ikeda
Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Paraná, 81531-990, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Gisela Benatti Silva
Department of Food Technology, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, 3083-872, Campinas, SP, Brazil
Caroline Joy Steel
Department of Food Technology, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas, 3083-872, Campinas, SP, Brazil
Osvaldo Soares da Silva
Department of Food Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Technology Center, 58400-000, Campina Grande, PB, Brazil
Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) is a pod found in the semiarid Northeast region of Brazil. It is widely used as livestock feed and its by-product (the grain) has potential for human food. Thus, this article aims was to obtain flour from mesquite grains under different drying temperatures (50, 60, and 70ºC) and classify them by their physical-chemical, microstructural, technological, antioxidant, bioactive, and pasting properties. Both the mesquite grain and the mesquite grain flour showed a high amount of proteins and low-fat content. Analyses on morphology and viscosity indicated the presence of starch. Among the temperatures studied, the flour dried at 60 ºC presented the best results for the capacity of water and oil absorption, antioxidant activities, and total phenolic compounds. Seventeen compounds were detected by chromatography, with kaempferol, catechin, and quinine being the most abundant. This confirms the potential of mesquite flour as a relevant source of proteins and phenolic compounds for food products.
