Elaboração de biscoito com farinha da casca de melancia

Abstract

The watermelon peel is a residue that can be used for the development of food products due to its nutritional characteristics, being a promising alternative. The objectives of this work were to reuse the watermelon peel, transforming it into flour, in order to minimize waste resulting from the disposal of this residue and to develop biscuits. The flour was obtained by drying in an oven with forced air circulation at 70ºC until reaching a humidity of approximately 9%, followed by grinding and milling operations. Analyzes of centesimal composition (moisture, ashes, total lipids, crude protein, crude fiber and total carbohydrates) were also carried out in the watermelon meal, and were also evaluated for granulometry, pH, titratable acidity, water absorption capacity, index of solubility in water, color and water activity. The analyzes were carried out in triplicates, with the exception of crude fiber, which was simple. The flour obtained had desirable characteristics, except in the water activity that was 0.79, which indicates that the flour has a high probability of microbial development. The flour had a pH of 4.98, characterizing it as an acidic flour. Respectively the flour of the watermelon peel presented high protein and fiber contents, in which it can be considered an alternative as an ingredient in baking products for fiber and protein supplementation. Three formulations for the biscuits were formulated: control formulation with wheat flour, 10% formulation, 10% flour of watermelon peel and 90% of wheat flour and formulation 15%, with 15% of the flour of the bark and 85% of wheat flour. The elaborated biscuits presented acceptable scores on sensory attributes, with the exception of texture and flavor, where it was not very acceptable in relation to the tasters and this is the main improvement to be made in future studies.