Universidad

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition 61: 39–44, 2006. c 2006 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc. DOI: 10.1007/s11130-006-0012-x

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Formulation and Sensory Evaluation of Prosopis alba (Algarrobo) Pulp Cookies with Increased Iron and Calcium Dialyzabilities
C.BERNARDI ,∗ S. DRAGO, N. SABBAG, H. SANCHEZ & M. FREYRE
Instituto de Tecnolog´a de Alimentos-(FIQ-Universidad Nacional del Litoral),Costanera Este y Rotonda- (3000), Santa Fe, Argentina (∗ author for ı correspondence; e-mail: cbernard@fiqus.unl.edu.ar)

Published online: 11 May 2006 Abstract. Prosopis alba (algarrobo) is an important indigenous specie, which fruits are used as food and feed since ancient times. Cookies containing algarrobo pulp (AP) with increased iron and calcium availabilities were formulated and sensoryevaluated. AP is preferred as food ingredient because of its high sugar content and pleasant flavour. Formulated cookies mean proximal composition was 8.9 g/100 g protein, 7.2 g/100 g dietary fiber, 25 g/100 g total sugar, and 18.5 g/100 g crude fat with iron and calcium contents 30 ppm and 340 ppm, respectively. Ascorbic (AA) and citric (CA) acids at different mM acid: mM Fe were added in order toincrease mineral availabilities being evaluated by an in vitro method. Those ratios were 5:1 and 10:1 for AA:Fe whereas for CA:Fe were 50:1 and 100:1 and combinations of them. After chosen the best AA:Fe and CA:Fe ratios (5:1 and 50:1, respectively), sensory evaluation with trained sensory panel and a consumer acceptability test with one hundred and seventy untrained judges were carried out.Acceptability test showed that 77.65% of the people (50 years old 15.89%) tasting final formulated cookies indicated that they “like very much” or “moderately like” and there were not consumers rejecting them. Key words: Prosopis, Prosopis cookies, Iron availability enhancers, Calcium availability enhancers, Iron dialyzability

Introduction Algarrobo (Prosopis alba) is an indigenous Leguminous tree namedlike that by Spanish conquerors because of its similarity with the European algarrobo (Ceratonia siliqua). This specie is widespread in Argentina and other regions of America being like other Prosopis, important because of its use as food, feed and fuel material and its resistance to drought and saline soils [1]. Its fruits, which are indehiscent pods, can be separated into exocarp, mesocarp(pulp), endocarp and seeds. The algarrobo pulp (AP) is used to prepare different foods, being appreciated because of their high sugar content and pleasant flavour. In a previous work, it was found not only an interesting calcium and iron levels in AP but important dietary fiber contents [2]. Ascorbic acid (AA) is widely accepted as an efficient non heme iron availability enhancer helping to maintain ironas its reduced form, which because of its solubility, is more bioavailable in the gastrointestinal tract [2–5]. Also citric (CA) and tartaric acids have a beneficial effect because of its ability to form soluble complexes in the

lumen of the small intestine not only with iron but with calcium as well [3, 6]. Regarding calcium availability, some works concluded that not only citrate but alsomalate, lactate and mixes of citrate-malate acids could enhance calcium availability from foods [7]. As calcium and iron deficiencies are commonly recognized as nutritional disorders among developing communities, it could be interesting to evaluate how to increase mineral availability from food with indigenous materials as ingredients. The objective of this work was to develop a cookie formulationcontaining algarrobo pulp with increased iron and calcium availabilities and good acceptability. Ascorbic and/or citric acids were added to cookie formulation, at different levels, based on previous work with Prosopis ruscifolia pulp which demonstrated that those organic acids could enhance endogenous iron dialyzability [2]. In order to evaluate its nutritional importance, not only iron and calcium...