Microwave Dried Carrot Pomace as a Source of Fiber and Carotenoids

Abstract

Carrot pomace is a major by-product obtained during the industrial juice extraction process, which is discarded contrib-uting to environmental pollution. This residue is rich in fiber, and contains high amounts of carotenoids and phenolic compounds that could contribute to its application as functional ingredient, improving the quality of foods and helping to reduce the environmental problem. In this study, carrot pomace powders obtained by microwave or hot air drying were incorporated into cookies in order to improve their phytochemical content. Cookies were prepared using a tradi-tional cookie recipe substituting 30% of the wheat flour for either of the carrot pomace powders. Fiber, carotenoids and phenolic compounds were determined; image analysis and acceptability of the cookies were also conducted. The sub-stitution of 30% of wheat flour for carrot pomace powders increased 3.7 fold the total dietary fiber of cookies, from 7.13 g/100g to 26.44 g/100g; accounting the 7.4% of fiber daily intake with the consumption of one cookie (7 g). A similar pattern was found in the content of carotenoids and phenolic compounds. Carrot pomace dried with microwaves had the highest amount of these bioactive compounds. β-carotene, epicatechin, gallic and ferulic acids were identified in cookies with microwave carrot pomace powder. The cookies incorporated with carrot pomace powders exhibited im-proved antioxidant properties because of the increase in the phytochemical content. Acceptable cookies with appealing orange color were obtained. The results indicated that the replacement of wheat flour for carrot pomace powders yielded dietary fiber enriched cookies with improved carotenoid content.