Potential of Debittered Pomelo Albedo Flour (Citrus maxima) in Bread: Functional, Nutritional and Phytochemical Characteristics

This study explored the use of pomelo albedo as a composite flour in bread production. The pomelo albedo portion of the whole fruit was debittered through the standard method and obtained debittered pomelo albedo flours (DPAF) which were incorporated into wheat flour at four formulations of 0, 10, 20, and 30% for bread production. The impact of DPAF on functional characteristics of composite flours and physical, chemical and sensory characteristics of breads was investigated. The difference between 100% wheat flour and flour enriched with 30% DPAF regarding water absorption (130.00 - 166.33%), bulk density (0.68 - 0.96 g/ ml) and crude fibre (1.50 - 2.42%) was significant giving higher value in DPAF composite flours, while their specific volume (2.93 - 4.14 cm3/ g) and protein (7.75 - 10.07%) were lower than that of control bread without DPAF. The phytochemical properties of bread varied slightly with incorporation of DPAF. A Sensory evaluation test using a 9-point hedonic scale showed that the appearance, flavor and overall acceptability were within the liking rate for 10% composite bread. The overall results could be useful for guiding the future application of pomelo albedo by-product in the bakery industry.