Development of brownie formulated with soybean co-product and carob

Healthfulness and full use of food are quality topics that have been approached during decades in the food industry, considering trends with growth prospection. In this context, okara, a co-product of the production of aqueous soybean extract, is a promising ingredient for confectionery, promoting nutritional improvement and waste reduction, as well as carob –a cocoa substitute that does not contain caffeine–. Thus, the present work aimed to develop a brownie formulated with these ingredients and to evaluate the physicochemical parameters and sensory acceptance. The soybean BRS 232 was used to obtain okara, which was dehydrated and milled to be used in the preparation of the brownie, adding eggs, sugar, oil and carob. In the physicochemical analyses, 17.3% of moisture, 1.7% of ash, 29.3% of lipids, 18.9% of proteins and 34.03% of carbohydrates were quantified. Sensory acceptance was assessed using a 10-point hybrid hedonic scale, considering four attributes: appearance 8.18, texture 6.65, flavor 7.19, and general acceptance 7.23, whose results were satisfactory, as values above 70% mean approval by consumers. The results indicated that the brownie formulated with okara and carob is a functional food, due to the high content of soy proteins, and with good sensory acceptance, making it an interesting option regarding the nutritional aspect, adequate to diets with restricted consumption of gluten and caffeine.