https://doi.org/10.17113/ftb.64.03.26.9485

Article in press

Upcycling Fruit-Vegetable Pomace Powders for Technological, Nutritional, and Sensory Enhancement of Cookies

Selene Kozyra Bilicich^1§, César Bruguezi^2§ Nadia Lingiardi^1,2,3§*, Daniela Matjazic², Regina Formigli² Gisela Piccirilli^1,2, Roxana Verdini^1,2,3, Emilce Llopart^1,3 and Marina Soazo^1,2,3

¹Institute of Chemistry of Rosario (IQUIR), Suipacha 531, 2000 Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina

²Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, Bromatology and Nutrition Area, Faculty of Biochemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, National University of Rosario, Suipacha 531, 2000 Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina

³National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), 2000 Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina

Copyright © 2024 This is a Diamond Open Access article published under CC-BY licence. Copyright remains with the authors, who grant third parties the unrestricted right to use, copy, distribute and reproduce the article as long as the original author(s) and source are acknowledged.

Food Technol. Biotechnol. 2026; 64(3).

Article history:

Received: 18 November 2025

Accepted: 27 April 2026

Keywords:

pomace; dietary fiber; bioaccessibility; polyphenols; antioxidant activity; sustainability

Summary:

Research background. Upcycling fruit–vegetable pomace into value-added bioproducts represents an effective strategy to reduce food waste while enhancing the nutritional quality of processed foods. Cookies, typically high in sugar and fat, are good candidates for reformulation.

Experimental approach. This study aimed to evaluate an integrated reformulation strategy combining the incorporation of whole fruit–vegetable pomaces with simultaneous sugar and fat reduction in cookies. Three whole pomaces from different fruit–vegetable blends were individually included as partial replacers for oil (25–50 %) and sugar (30–60 %). Reformulated cookies were characterized for chemical composition, technological attributes, and sensory acceptance. Total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were quantified in digested samples to assess the influence of pomace incorporation on the bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds.

Results and conclusions. Pomace incorporation markedly increased total, insoluble, and soluble fiber contents, with higher replacement levels yielding greater nutritional enhancement. Reformulated cookies also showed increased total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in digested samples, indicating improved bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds. Technological parameters were moderately affected: hardness increased and spread ratio decreased with rising pomace levels. Color changes occurred but remained within acceptable limits. Sensory evaluation performed by a trained panel revealed only slight reductions in crispness and overall liking at the highest replacement levels, indicating that the sensory attributes of pomace-containing cookies were largely maintained. Therefore, formulations with intermediate pomace incorporation levels and moderate sugar and oil reductions (25/30 and 50/30) provided the best balance between technological quality, sensory attributes, and phenolic bioaccessibility, whereas higher replacement levels (50/60) did not confer additional overall benefits.

Novelty and scientific contribution. This study demonstrates that integrating fruit–vegetable pomace valorization with sugar–fat reduction enables the development of nutritionally enhanced cookies with moderate technological changes within acceptable quality ranges. The approach not only improves fiber content and phenolic bioaccessibility, but also converts processing residues into value-added bioproducts with functional significance. These findings provide a feasible pathway for designing healthier baked goods while promoting circularity and sustainability in food systems.