Development of dietary fibre enriched bakery products by incorporating melon by-products

Regular and sufficient intake of dietary fibre has many health benefits. One of these benefits is the ability to reduce the rate of glucose absorption after eating foods rich in carbohydrates with a high glycaemic index. Glycaemic control through dietary intervention is important for people with a high risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. According to some studies, it is recommended that the diabetic diet should provide 25-50 g/day of dietary fibre. However, the average daily intake of dietary fibre for the Portuguese population is 16.3 and 19.5 g/day, for women and men, respectively. This study aimed to develop two innovative food products based on melon peel flour and to evaluate their nutritional composition. In 2022, melon peels were recovered from melon production and distribution companies, mainly discarded fruits, which do not correspond to market needs in terms of size, and/or shape, or colour. Melon peels were dehydrated and homogenised until a fine powder (melon peel flour) was obtained. The nutritional composition was analytically determined. The energy value and available carbohydrates were calculated. The incorporation of melon peel flour allowed the development of a biscuit and a muffin with 15 and 13 g/100 g of dietary fibre, respectively. According to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims, it is possible to say that the products developed can be considered high in fibre (> 6 g/100 g). Moreover, one portion of the developed biscuit (35 g) and muffin (48 g) can contribute with 21% and 25% of the recommended needs, respectively. The developed bakery products rich in dietary fibre could contribute to glycaemic control. The dietary fibre content present in the developed food products can also contribute to the valorisation of melon peel flour by reducing food waste, the environmental impact and contribute to improve public health.

This work was financially supported by Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the projects Food4DIAB (EXPL/BAA-AGR/1382/2021); and UIDB/50006/2020 and by AgriFood XXI I&D&I project (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000041) co-financed by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the NORTE 2020 (Programa Operacional Regional do Norte 2014/2020). Rita C. Alves thanks to FCT the CEECIND/01120/2017 contract.

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