INFLUENCE OF THE PREPARATION METHOD OF SPENT COFFEE GROUNDS ON THE QUALITY AND NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF FUNCTIONAL FLOUR PRODUCTS
Abstract
The aim of the study was to determine how the preparation method of spent coffee grounds affects the consumer properties, technological parameters, and nutritional value of functional flour-based products, as well as to identify the most appropriate approach to incorporating this ingredient into the formulation of shortbread cookies as a model product. The research methodology involved a comparative assessment of a control cookie sample and three experimental variants in which 5% of the wheat flour mass was replaced with spent coffee grounds subjected to different preparation methods: convective drying followed by grinding, freeze-drying followed by fine milling, and solid-state fermentation with Aspergillus oryzae followed by drying. The evaluation included the determination of moisture content, ash content, protein and fat content, total dietary fibre, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, colour parameters in the CIE Lab* system, hardness, spread ratio, and sensory acceptability. Statistical processing was performed using one-way analysis of variance, with the significance level set at p ≤ 0.05. It was established that the incorporation of spent coffee grounds itself contributed to an increase in the dietary fibre content of the cookies from 2.4 to 5.9–6.8 g/100 g, an increase in total phenolic content from 41.8 to 78.6–102.4 mg GAE/100 g, and an improvement in antioxidant activity from 8.7 to 17.9–24.2% DPPH inhibition. At the same time, the preparation method had a significant effect on the balance between functional value and consumer quality. Convectively dried spent coffee grounds resulted in the highest product hardness and the lowest lightness values; freeze-dried spent coffee grounds provided the best textural balance and the highest sensory score; and fermented spent coffee grounds ensured the greatest increase in phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity while maintaining acceptable organoleptic quality. The sample containing freeze-dried spent coffee grounds demonstrated the highest overall technological feasibility, combining enhanced nutritional value, improved friability, less pronounced bitterness, and the best overall acceptability score. The findings indicate that the use of spent coffee grounds in functional cookie technology is feasible only when targeted preliminary preparation is applied. Freeze-drying and fermentation-based modification appear to be the most promising approaches, whereas simple convective drying requires additional formulation adjustment. The practical value of the results lies in the possibility of scientifically substantiated upcycling of coffee by-products within resource-efficient food production technologies
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