Nutritional and technological potential of umbu-caja and soursop co-product flours

Umbu-caja and soursop from the Northeast region of Brazil are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds and are widely processed by the fruit agroindustry. However, there is a lack of research examining the composition and nutritional/technological potential of these co-product fruits. The present study evaluated the nutritional and technological characteristics of umbu-caja and soursop co-product flours (UCF and SCF, respectively), in addition to cytotoxicity in healthy cells. The results demonstrated that they are rich in dietary fiber (approximately 53 %), low in protein (approximately 8.0 %), and have minimal moisture content (<15 %). The mineral composition of the flours exhibited a notable presence of copper, iron, zinc, manganese, and boron. The evaluation of antioxidant capacity using the DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP methods demonstrated the presence of antioxidants that resisted processing, indicated by a high antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, the flours were found to contain phenolic compounds, predominantly rutin (UCF) and p-coumaric acid (SCF). The cytotoxicity test demonstrated that both co-product flours did not exert detrimental effects on healthy cells according to the MTT assay. The technological analyses highlighted low pH values (2.38 and 3.61 for UCF and SCF, respectively), which is favorable for a greater shelf life and suggests applications in fermented products. In addition, the flours have good water and oil holding capacity and low foaming, and they could be incorporated into food products that require these properties. The results demonstrated promising qualities of the UCF and SCF for incorporation into the human diet and product development, mainly due to their high fiber content, antioxidant capacity and low cytotoxicity.