Influence of sugar quantity on the mass and quality of products from baobab fruits pulp

Adansonia digitata, the baobab, is a giant tree whose leaves, seeds, and fruit pulp are used as food. Baobab fruit pulp contains a large amount of vitamin C, calcium, potassium, a significant amount of B vitamins, amino acids, and antioxidants. There are several recipes used to hand-make baobab pulp cookies. According to the traditional recipe, water and a small amount of sugar are added to the crushed baobab pulp. All ingredients are mixed until a homogeneous mass, dough, is obtained. The pieces formed from the dough are dried. Sugar is an important ingredient in the production of baobab pulp cookies, as it affects the texture, taste, and color of the cookies. More sugar can increase their weight and density, as well as make the cookies softer and more tender by absorbing moisture, creating a more moist texture. The research was carried out in Perteguy (PERTEGUI), in Conakry, as part of the Project for the Study and Research of Endogenous Technologies in Guinea at the Perteguy Agro-Food Section (Projet d’Étude et de Recherche sur les Technologies Endogènes en Guinea dans la Section Agro-Alimentaire du PERTEGUI). From January 30 to February 15, 2023, the study was carried out, consisting of 3 repeated stages. In each stage, three variants of cookie production recipes were used, differing only in the amount of sugar added to the dough, 00 g, 500 g and 750 g, respectively. Then, samples were taken for analysis: sample identification, physicochemical and microbiological. A statistical analysis was also carried out. The results of the analyses showed that the more sugar contained in the cookies, the more water they retain after drying. It was also found that the ascorbic acid content in the samples was 208 mg/100 g, which is lower than that of other authors (272 mg/100 g), but remained constant with increasing Brix and humidity levels. In addition, in samples with a sugar content of 500 g and 750 g, the presence of yeast and mold was noted at about 2.67 CFU/g and 3.00 CFU/g, respectively, which is lower than the recommended norm of 10.00 CFU/g. The absence of salmonella in the samples indicates compliance with hygiene rules during the production process.