Physicochemical, Bioactive, and Sensory Characterization of Panettone Enriched with Sambucus peruviana Flour

Panettones enriched with Sambucus peruviana (elderberry) flour at concentrations of 4, 6, 8, and 10% were developed to study their physicochemical, bioactive, and sensory properties. Results showed that the incorporation of S. peruviana significantly increased fiber content, reaching 4.74% in the EP10 formulation, compared to 3.53% in the control (TP0). Total phenolic content also increased, reaching 6.7 mg GAE/g in EP10 versus 4.0 mg GAE/g in TP0. Regarding antioxidant capacity, DPPH antioxidant activity was the highest in EP10 (0.9 mg TE/g), while TP0 presented only 0.2 mg TE/g. In terms of physical properties, the color of the panettone progressively darkened with S. peruviana incorporation, with a decrease in lightness (L*) from 56.79 in TP0 to 39.54 in EP10. For texture, hardness increased significantly from 20.23 N in TP0 to 77.15 N in EP10, suggesting greater crumb compactness. In the sensory evaluation, formulations EP4 and EP6 showed higher acceptance in attributes such as color and aroma, while higher concentrations (EP8 and EP10) exhibited a slight decrease in acceptance due to increased hardness and a slightly bitter taste. These results demonstrate the potential of S. peruviana flour as a functional ingredient for enriching bakery products, enhancing their nutritional and antioxidant profiles without excessively compromising sensory characteristics.