resumo
- The agri-food industry generates tons of waste rich in dietary fiber, a nutrient that can be recovered to be reused in the development of fiber-enriched foods and beverages. This could be a strategy to achieve resource-use efficiency and to promote adequate intakes of this nutrient, since a large part of the world population does not get the recommended daily amount. In this sense, this work was carried out to optimize the extraction of dietary fiber from quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) peel, using the response surface methodology. A 20-run experimental design was implemented, combining the factors time, temperature, and ethanol percentage at five levels. The yield of fibrous residue (FR) and its dietary fiber content and color parameters were used as dependent variables. The developed predictive models were statistically validated and used to determine optimal extraction conditions. The process was significantly affected by temperature and ethanol percentage, and the highest dietary fiber content (67% of FR) was obtained using 36% ethanol at 92 °C. Overall, these results showed that C. oblonga fruit peel could be upcycled into dietary fiber-rich food ingredients.