Design a new functional food using inulin as a substitute for fats and sugars in cookie formulations

Inulin, recognized for its properties as a functional food ingredient, emerges as a promising element to enrich the nutritional value of foods. This study focused on including prebiotic function in cookies, a widely consumed food, by incorporating inulin. Three formulations were designed that partially substituted sugar or fat content compared to a control sample. The evaluation covered the resulting cookies' physical, textural, and sensory properties. It was highlighted that the replacement of inulin by fat negatively affected quality, manifesting in a significant increase in hardness and color changes, corroborated by sensory panel perceptions. In contrast, the exclusive substitution of sugar content preserved the properties of the control cookie, with minimal variations in moisture and water activity. However, both the control cookie and the variant with sugar replacement obtained the best results in the sensory analyses and showed higher purchase intention. Consequently, the formulation with sugar replacement was identified as the most successful, showing significant potential for its introduction in the national market.