Formulation of nutritious gluten-free cookies with upcycled pecan nut cake flour

Background

The pecan nut [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) C. Koch] press cake (PNC) is a co-product of pressing to produce oil, that has low cost and is nutritionally rich, but still little explored. This study evaluated the effects of different concentrations of PNC flour (PNCF) (0%, 15%, and 30%) to obtain nutritious gluten-free cookies based on rice flour and corn starch, and upcycling the high-quality pecan press cake.

Results

The addition of the PNCF significantly increased the cookies lipids, insoluble fibers, and protein contents, and led to a significant reduction of the carbohydrates content. Texture profile analysis showed that the addition of PNCF in the samples formulation increased hardness and decreased cohesiveness of dough, showing better behavior for technological processing. After baking, the cookies added with PNCF showed no significant difference in the expansion factor, and required a much higher cutting force than cookies without PNCF (control formulation), due to the higher concentration of insoluble fibers of the former.

Conclusion

The use of up to 30% PNCF allowed formulating gluten-free cookies with a suitable proximate composition and desired texture characteristics. The findings can help the food industries to develop technologically viable formulations to meet the consumers´ demands and nutritional requirements of individuals with gluten restrictions, as well as to upcycle an oleaginous co-product.