Gluten-free cookies added with fibre and bioactive compounds from blackcurrant residue

Abstract

A blackcurrant by-product of juice production was dehydrated and added to a gluten-free chocolate cookies formulation as a source of dietary fibre and antioxidants. The blackcurrant ingredient showed high bioactive compounds content: total phenolics (TPC) = 37.5 ± 0.9 mg GAE per g d.b., total monomeric anthocyanins = 18.0 ± 0.4 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside per g d.b., antioxidant activity (AA) = 22.1 ± 0.3 mg GAE per g d.b. and total dietary fibre (TDF) = 32.3 ± 0.4% d.b. The cookie formulation was added with 3.75% blackcurrant powder without causing severe organoleptic changes. The cookies presented 62% and 70% increase of TPC and AA, respectively. The in vitro digestion showed that a relevant level of AA could reach the large intestine. Also, the TDF increased 2.5 times, reaching a final content that would enable the use of the claim 'source of dietary fibre' in the labelling according to the Codex Alimentarius. The obtained cookies showed a high level of acceptance among coeliac and non-coeliac consumers in the sensory analysis.