Cookies Enriched with Maqui Flour: Good Source of Dietary Fiber and Antioxidant Capacity

Byproducts derived from the agricultural industry and food processing, such as seeds and skin or husks, have become important due to environmental sustainability and their value-added potential. Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz) is a native Chilean wild tree that has several beneficial properties due to its high content of anthocyanins, anthocyanidins, phenolic acids, tannins, and fiber. The present study involved flour derived from maqui byproducts (seeds and skin) to produce cookies with a higher content of nutrients, dietary fiber, and antioxidants. Maqui bagasse was converted into flour and mixed with wheat flour to prepare the cookies. The control consisted of wheat flour cookies with no added maqui flour. Results indicated that the cookies with the added maqui flour were preferred more than the control and had a higher percentage of fiber. Compared with the control, the amount of anthocyanins increased 3.5 times, and the amount of antioxidants, measured via the DPPH (2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical) assay, increased approximately 10 times. Our results show that the incorporation of maqui byproducts, in the form of maqui flour, into the cookie formulation is an effective way to add nutritional value to cookies by increasing dietary fiber, total polyphenols, and total anthocyanins.