Ora-pro-nóbis (Pereskia aculeata) leaves as an alternative ingredient for pesto sauce: chemical, rheological and sensory evaluation

Unconventional Food Plants, such as ora-pro-nóbis, have been applied as a potential food ingredients due to their nutritional and sensorial quality, combined with low cost and sustainable characteristics. In this sense, this study aimed to explore the use of ora-pro-nóbis leaves as a substitute for basil leaves in the production of pesto sauce. Five formulations were developed: the traditional version with basil; and formulations with replacement of 25 %, 50 %, 75 % and 100 % replacement of basil leaves by ora-pro-nóbis. These were analyzed for proximate composition, rheological properties, sensory characterization using the Rate-All-That-Apply methodology, directional and global acceptability and purchase intention. The results showed that the different proportions of basil and ora-pro-nóbis did not influence the proximate composition of the formulations. However, increasing the proportion of ora-pro-nóbis leaves resulted in a reduction in the apparent viscosity of the sauces. Replacing basil leaves with ora-pro-nóbis influenced the intensity of perception of the attributes “fresh herb color”, “greenish color”, “rancidity” and “bitter aftertaste”, as well as the consumer acceptability and purchase intention. It is recommended to replace 25 % of basil leaves with ora-pro-nóbis without reducing the magnitude of overall acceptance of the sauce (mean hedonic score of 7.75), as well as the purchase intention (mean categorical score of 4.17), compared to the traditionally accepted and marketed pesto. Therefore, it is concluded that ora-pro-nóbis leaves enable the development of new culinary formulations of pesto sauce, preserving the sensory and nutritional quality of this product category, while also promoting sustainability and reducing costs.