LAUSR

BACKGROUND Industrial blueberry juice processing results in a significant amount of by-product, the so called pomace; and could represents a nutritional valuable source of fibre and bioactive compounds to enhance either technological or nutritional characteristics of foods. The aim of this study was to obtain novel ingredients based on blueberry by-product applying different drying methods: convective (CD), freeze (FD) and vacuum-drying (VD). The powders were physicochemical, functional, and nutritionally characterized. Finally, its application to formulate muffins in replacing 10-20-30% of wheat flour was studied to evaluate the effect on textural, colour and sensorial characteristics. RESULTS CD reduced the hydration and functional properties when compared to FD and VD. The powders were characterized by a high content of dietary fibre (273 ± 5 g kg-1 ) and, a good retention and bioaccessibility of antioxidant compounds (39-85% range). The powder addition to formulate muffin decreased lightness and chromaticity, without differences due to drying process. The texture parameters were reduced with 10% of ingredient addition; meanwhile 20-30% showed similar values to the muffin control. Sensorial evaluation presented good overall acceptability (>6 ± 2 in a 9-point hedonic scale) and, some specific attributes showed a significant drop in overall acceptability recommending its optimization according to the Penalty Analysis. CONCLUSION These results suggest that functional ingredients rich in fibre and bioactive compounds may be obtained from an industrial by-product giving added value and avoiding or reducing their lost; and could also be a promising vehicle to incorporate dietary fibre and bioactive compounds in bakery goods. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.