Desenvolvimento de pão adicionado de farinha de ora-pro-nóbis (Pereskia aculeata Miller) e avaliação do potencial de inserção na alimentação escolar de crianças da rede pública de ensino

Abstract

School feeding in Brazil is of great importance for the development of children. The consumption of non-conventional edible plants (UNEPs) can be an important strategy to improve the nutritional quality of school meals. Pereskia aculeata Miller, popularly known as 'ora-pro-nóbis' (OPN), deserves special mention because it contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidant compounds and a high protein content. This plant can be transformed into flour, used in the preparation of breads, cakes, pastas, among other foods. Understanding children's perceptions of new foods through sensory analysis is essential. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the introduction of a bread containing ora-pro-nóbis flour in the school feeding of two public schools in the city of Pato Branco, Paraná, Brazil, for children aged 4 to 11 years. First, the amino acid profile of the ora-pro-nóbis flour was determined. Then, breads containing OPN flour were produced and physicochemical analyses were performed. The stability of color and texture was analyzed over a period of 5 days. The introduction of the breads was evaluated using the following approaches: a food education seminar, a product-specific emoji list, a facial hedonic scale, and word association (WA). To evaluate the effects of the food education intervention, the seminar was applied in only one of the schools. One school was selected as the intervention group (IG) (n=398) and the other as the control group (CG) (n=441). The analyses showed that the OPN flour had a high protein concentration (25.87%), with the presence of all essential amino acids. With lipid contents of 0.80%, ash of 2.63%, protein of 4.82%, and carbohydrates of 64.4%, the addition of OPN flour contributed to obtaining a widely consumed food with greater added nutritional value. Over the five days of storage, the results of total color difference showed greater color stability of the crumb in relation to the crust. Regarding texture, the results revealed that the bread became harder, chewier, and chewier over the days. The food education seminar proved to be an essential strategy for encouraging the children to try the bread. With an acceptance rate of 78.52% for the GC school and 80.16% for the GI school, the acceptance test also demonstrated the significant effect of the food education seminar. The product-specific emoji scale helped to understand the children's emotions regarding the new food and complemented the hedonic data. The AP technique provided a holistic view of the children's evaluation of the bread, confirming the hedonic data. According to the results found, bread made with OPN flour is a notable option for increasing the consumption of this PANC. The introduction of new foods into school meals is positively influenced by food literacy, and all sensory approaches corroborate this.