A Functional End-Use of Avocado (cv. Hass) Waste through Traditional Semolina Sourdough Bread Production

Foods. 2023 Oct 11;12(20):3743. doi: 10.3390/foods12203743.

Abstract

In recent years, a main goal of research has been to exploit waste from agribusiness industries as new sources of bioactive components, with a view to establishing a circular economy. Non-compliant avocado fruits, as well as avocado seeds and peels, are examples of promising raw materials due to their high nutritional yield and antioxidant profiles. This study aimed to recycle avocado food waste and by-products through dehydration to produce functional bread. For this purpose, dehydrated avocado was reduced to powder form, and bread was prepared with different percentages of the powder (5% and 10%) and compared with a control bread prepared with only semolina. The avocado pulp and by-products did not alter organoleptically after dehydration, and the milling did not affect the products' color and retained the avocado aroma. The firmness of the breads enriched with avocado powder increased due to the additional fat from the avocado, and alveolation decreased. The total phenolic content of the fortified breads was in the range of 2.408-2.656 mg GAE/g, and the antiradical activity was in the range of 35.75-38.235 mmol TEAC/100 g (p < 0.0001), depending on the percentage of fortification.

Keywords: antioxidant properties; avocado wastes/by-products; functional bread; lactic acid bacteria; peels; polyphenols; pulp; seeds; sourdough.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the TINFRUT project, funded by PSR Sicilia 2014–2020 Programma di Sviluppo Rurale SOTTOMISURA 16.1 “Sostegno per la costituzione e la gestione dei gruppi operativi del PEI in materia di produttività e sostenibilità dell’agricoltura”.