Production optimization of passion fruit peel flour and its incorporation into dietary food

This study aimed to obtain passion fruit peel flour and incorporate it as an ingredient in the development of dietary cookies. Drying proceeded by an experimental design with variable temperature and time and storage trial of the obtained flour was conducted in plastic packaging under optimized conditions (90 celcius/11 h) for 90 days. The passion fruit peel flour was incorporated into cookies at three levels (10, 20, and 30%) to replace wheat flour. Chemical composition, microbiological quality, and acceptance of sensory attributes of the cookies were determined. The formulations tested had significantly higher mean contents of ash and crude fiber (p < 0.05) and showed adjusted microbiological standards. Acceptance of the appearance, aroma, and flavor attributes were similar (p > 0.05) in all formulations. The results show the viability of optimized production of alternative flour (30% of passion fruit peel flour) from agro-industrial waste and the potential of the flour as an ingredient for the nutritional enrichment of dietary foods.