Abstract
Fruit peels currently generate great interest in the food industry due to their wide variety of biologically active nutritional properties. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the partial replacement of wheat flour with dragon-fruit peel powder in the preparation of sweet cookies. A Completely Random Design was used, three treatments were formulated with pitahaya peel powderat 10, 20 and 30% plus a control treatment. Bromatological and microbiological properties, colorimetry, texture profile and sensory analysis were evaluated (70 untrained judges). In the results obtained, with the exception of the b* coordinate and the texture parameters (cohesiveness, adhesiveness, gumminess, elasticity, chewiness), the other variables did present statistical significance at 0.05%, obtaining protein values of 5.86. -9.08%; humidity 4.86 -6.48%; pH 6.17 -6.80; Luminosity L* 32.01 -73.29; coordinate a* 2.14 -26.34; hardness 51.95 N -206.11 N. The sensory profile attributes presented p<0.05%. It was determined that all sweet cookie formulations met the bromatological and microbiological requirements established in the NTE INEN 2085:2005 standard. By using10% pitahaya peel powder in the formulation of sweet cookies, the parameters of hardness and sensory acceptability improved considerably.