Effects of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) peel flour as an innovative ingredient in biscuits formulation

The peels of prickly pears represent around half of the fruit and are generally discarded, thus becoming an environmental problem. Due to the high content of bioactive compounds, prickly pear peels could be conveniently used as a nutraceutical and functional ingredient in some food preparations, such as bakery products. This study was aimed at assessing the aptitude of prickly pear peel flour to be mixed (10 g, 20 g, and 30 g/100 g) with wheat flour for biscuits preparation through the analysis of the physical and chemical properties of doughs and biscuits and through sensory evaluation. The composition of prickly pear flour showed a significantly higher concentration of fibre (20.70 g/100 g d.w.), ash (14.57 g/100 g d.w.), and phenolic compounds (2776 mg/100 g d.w.) compared to the control wheat flour, thus improving technological properties such as the aptitude to kneading, the flavour retention, and the antioxidant capacity. The acceptance sensory test showed that biscuits prepared with 20 g/100 g and 30 g/100 g of prickly pear flour were more appreciated for smell, taste, colour, and overall acceptability.