Effect of peach puree incorportion on cookie quality and on simulated digestion of polyphenols and antioxidant properties

The aim of this work was to identify and quantify the bioaccesible phenolic compounds and evaluate their relationship with the antioxidant properties of three different cookies formulated with 10.5% peach pulp incorporation and 50% fat or added-sucrose reduction. Peach pulp and dietary fiber were incorporated in cookie formulation and two levels of fat or sucrose were analyzed. Cookie quality was modified by fruit incorporation and reduction of fat and added-sucrose. Fruit incorporation changed the polyphenol profile and improved antioxidant properties. Most phenolic compounds quantified in both the extracts and the different stages of the simulated digestion were higher in the sucrose/fat reduced samples than in the control samples, which represents a nutritional improvement of the pulp-enriched cookies. Evaluation of the bioaccessibility of polyphenols from cookies showed that a fraction of polyphenol could be absorbed by the small intestine. This fraction ranged between ~21% and ~25%, according to the sample.