Sustainability Opportunities for Mediterranean Food Products through New Formulations Based on Carob Flour ( Ceratonia siliqua L.)

Manel Issaoui, Guido Flamini and Amélia Delgado
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Manel Issaoui: Lab-NAFS Nutrition-Functional Food & Vascular Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
Guido Flamini: Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Amélia Delgado: Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, University of Algarve Edf 8, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 14, 1-21

Abstract: Carob flour is increasingly popular in innovative functional foods. Its main producers are Mediterranean countries, facing health and nutrition challenges, and difficulties in tackling climate change. This study aims at formulating innovative sustainable bakery products of high nutritional value while pleasing the consumer and addressing regional challenges. Hence, carob flour was obtained by grinding sun-dried carob pods, thus reducing the environmental impact, and preserving carob’s high nutraceutical value. Different bread formulations resulted from the blend of wheat flour with carob pulp (5, 10, 20, and 30%) and/or seed powder (5 and 10%), with no added fats, additives, or processing aids. New products were evaluated for their textural, chromatic, nutritional, aromatic, and hedonic properties. Carob is rich in aroma, antioxidants, and prebiotic fibers, and does not contain gluten, so when combined with wheat, the proportion of gluten in bread is reduced. Carob is also rich in minerals (4.16% and 2.00% ash, respectively in seed and pulp), and breadmaking seems to generate lesser furane derivatives than in white bread. In short, carob is typically Mediterranean and is a valuable local resource in the formulation of sustainable foods with high nutritional value, low carbon footprint, safe, healthy, tasty, and affordable, all at once.

Keywords: carob flour; enriched bread; sustainable bakery; furane compounds; consumer preference (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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