ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF POTATO PEEL POWDER FORTIFICATION ON THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL, ANTIOXIDANT, AND SENSORY QUALITIES OF FUNCTIONAL COOKIES

Abstract

Agro-industrial waste contains a variety of essential nutrients, and a large amount of this waste material is being wasted or dumped intentionally due to a lack of awareness about nutrients. Current research aims to explore the nutritional and functional properties of potato peels, and the research was conducted in two different phases. In the 1st phase, potato peels were subjected to their proximate composition followed by their mineral profile. Then, peel powder was subjected to its phenolic content, and its activity was assessed using three commonly used antioxidant assays including DPPH and FRAP. In the 2nd phase of the study, potato peels were incorporated into cookie formulation for the development of functional cookies. The results regarding the proximate composition showed that moisture, ash, fat, fiber, and protein content were 65.23±0.21, 4.79±0.31, 2.79±0.072, 12.68±1.17, and 13.03±0.010. Further, the mineral profile showed that potato peels contain mineral content including sodium, magnesium, and calcium in major concentrations of 25.54±0.67, 132.77±2.04, and 22.78±1.09, whereas, iron, copper, and zinc were present in minute quantities of 0.92±0.07, 0.54±0.02, and 1.36±0.05 respectively. Furthermore, the activity of polyphenols showed that peel powder showed good scavenging potential. Moreover, the incorporation of potato peel powder enhances the physicochemical profile of cookies, along with improved sensory scores. The current study showed that potato peels should be used as food additives and a new way towards the sustainable production of functional foods.