ACCEPTABILITY AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL QUALITY OF A SWEET MADE FROM Dipteryx alata Vog. NUTS

Abstract

Baru (Dipteryx alata Vog.), a typical fruit from the Brazilian Savannah, is used for producing cereal bars, cookies, and other typical dishes from the Goiás State (Brazil) gastronomy. This study aimed to evaluate the physical and chemical features, as well as acceptability, of paçoca (a typical Brazilian sweet made from peanuts) made from baru nuts. The control was processed by using only peanuts and the tests comprised proportions of peanut and baru nuts of 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75, respectively. The processed sweets were submitted to sensory, physical, and proximate analyses. The roasted baru nuts showed higher fiber and ash contents than the roasted peanut. The percent increase of baru nuts in the paçoca reduced its lipids content, total energetic value, and overall acceptance, and increased its fiber concentration. Its mass, diameter, and thickness were not affected with the partial substitution of peanuts by baru nuts. Paçocas made with 25% of baru nuts showed the best results for global acceptance and presented the lowest energetic density and the highest total dietary fiber concentration, when compared to the one traditionally made from peanuts.