Fortified chocolate mousse with powder and extract from Moringa oleifera leaves for nutritional value improvement

Olívia J S Gomes; Anabela Leitão; Marisa C Gaspar; Carla Vitorino; João J S Sousa; Hermínio C de Sousa; Mara E M Braga; Licínio M Gando-Ferreira

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.138338

Fortified chocolate mousse with powder and extract from Moringa oleifera leaves for nutritional value improvement

Food Chem. 2024 May 30:441:138338. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.138338. Epub 2024 Jan 3.

Authors

Olívia J S Gomes¹, Anabela Leitão², Marisa C Gaspar³, Carla Vitorino⁴, João J S Sousa⁴, Hermínio C de Sousa¹, Mara E M Braga⁵, Licínio M Gando-Ferreira⁶

Affiliations

¹ University of Coimbra, CIEPQPF, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Pólo II, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal.
² LESRA-Laboratory of Separation, Reaction and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Agostinho Neto University, Av. Ho Chimin no 201, Luanda, Angola.
³ Centre for Innovative Care and Health Technology (ciTechCare), Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, 2410-541 Leiria, Portugal; ESSLei-School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal.
⁴ Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal; Coimbra Chemistry Centre, Institute of Molecular Sciences-IMS, Department of Chemistry, University of Coimbra, Rua Larga, 3004-535 Coimbra, Portugal.
⁵ University of Coimbra, CIEPQPF, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Pólo II, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal. Electronic address: marabraga@eq.uc.pt.
⁶ University of Coimbra, CIEPQPF, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Pólo II, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal. Electronic address: lferreira@eq.uc.pt.

PMID: 38194794
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.138338

Abstract

This study focuses on the characterisation and incorporation of Moringa oleifera leaf powder (MOP) from Luanda (Angola) and its extract (MOE) in fortified chocolate mousse. Dark green (DG) leaves presented superior nutritional values compared to other leaves. DG contained a higher concentration of mineral salts (10 ± 1 mg/100 g of dry leaves), phenolic compounds (267 ± 4 mg GAE/g), vitamins (1.9 ± 0.2 mg/g of dry extract) and strong antioxidant capacity (IC₅₀, 115 ± 8 µg/mL). Therefore, DG leaves were used to fortify the chocolate mousse. The leaves were prepared in three samples: control, 2 % MOP (w/w) and 2 % MOE (v/v). Textural and rheological analysis of chocolate mousse samples revealed a pseudoplastic profile for all samples, with decreased texture attributes and viscosity due to the incorporation. The sensory evaluation demonstrated that MOP and MOE samples presented 93 % and 88 % resemblance to the original product regarding general acceptance, respectively.

Keywords: Acceptability profile; Chemical characterisation; Chocolate mousse; Moringa oleifera leaves; Solvent extraction.

MeSH terms

Chocolate*
Moringa oleifera*
Plant Extracts
Plant Leaves
Powders
Vitamins

Substances

Plant Extracts
Powders
Vitamins