Pre-Treatment Effects on Chemico-Physical Characteristics of Argan Press Cake Used for Bread Production
Argan oil is known worldwide for its nutritional, therapeutic, and cosmetic benefits. However, the extraction process produces 40–50% of argan press cake (APC), which is rich in protein, fiber, and minerals. Despite its nutritional potential, the high saponin content of APC imparts a bitter taste an...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| author | Asma El Kaourat Hasnae Choukri Badr Eddine Kartah Ahmed Snoussi Giuseppe Zeppa Aouatif Benali Mouna Taghouti Hanae El Monfalouti |
| author_facet | Asma El Kaourat Hasnae Choukri Badr Eddine Kartah Ahmed Snoussi Giuseppe Zeppa Aouatif Benali Mouna Taghouti Hanae El Monfalouti |
| author_sort | Asma El Kaourat |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Argan oil is known worldwide for its nutritional, therapeutic, and cosmetic benefits. However, the extraction process produces 40–50% of argan press cake (APC), which is rich in protein, fiber, and minerals. Despite its nutritional potential, the high saponin content of APC imparts a bitter taste and anti-nutritional properties, making it unsuitable for human consumption and often wasted. This study addresses this issue by using boiling treatments with citric acid (CA) and distilled water (DW) to reduce the saponin content while evaluating the impact on APC quality. In addition, this study explores, for the first time, the incorporation of treated argan press cake, APC-CA and APC-DW, at different levels (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) into whole wheat flour (WWF) for bread production to improve the nutritional profile. The results indicate that both treatments significantly reduce saponin content while maintaining nutritional quality comparable to untreated APC. This includes a 50% reduction in phytic acid levels. The absence of tryptophan fluorescence emission was observed in APC-CA, which may be related to chemical degradation or interactions with other molecules. The substitution of APC-CA and APC-DW increased the protein of composite flours in a level-dependent manner. At substitution levels up to 10%, APC-CA and APC-DW positively influenced the technological properties of the bread. This study demonstrates the potential of APC to improve the nutritional value of bread and supports zero-waste initiatives by reusing by-products. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d4573add5d58438eb6eba6c87226374b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj-art-d4573add5d58438eb6eba6c87226374b2025-08-20T03:13:44ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-04-01148131510.3390/foods14081315Pre-Treatment Effects on Chemico-Physical Characteristics of Argan Press Cake Used for Bread ProductionAsma El Kaourat0Hasnae Choukri1Badr Eddine Kartah2Ahmed Snoussi3Giuseppe Zeppa4Aouatif Benali5Mouna Taghouti6Hanae El Monfalouti7Laboratory of Plant Chemistry, Organic and Bioorganic Synthesis, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat, 4 Avenue Ibn Battouta, Rabat B.P. 1014 RP, MoroccoInternational Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Rabat 10112, MoroccoLaboratory of Plant Chemistry, Organic and Bioorganic Synthesis, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat, 4 Avenue Ibn Battouta, Rabat B.P. 1014 RP, MoroccoInnovation and Valorisation Laboratory for a Sustainable Food Industry, Higher School of Food Industries of Tunis ESIAT, University of Carthage, 58 Av. Alain Savary, Tunis El Khadra 1003, TunisiaDepartment of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Turin, 10095 Grugliasco, ItalyNational Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), Rabat-Instituts, Rue Hafiane Cherkaoui, Rabat 10101, MoroccoNational Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), Rabat-Instituts, Rue Hafiane Cherkaoui, Rabat 10101, MoroccoLaboratory of Plant Chemistry, Organic and Bioorganic Synthesis, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University in Rabat, 4 Avenue Ibn Battouta, Rabat B.P. 1014 RP, MoroccoArgan oil is known worldwide for its nutritional, therapeutic, and cosmetic benefits. However, the extraction process produces 40–50% of argan press cake (APC), which is rich in protein, fiber, and minerals. Despite its nutritional potential, the high saponin content of APC imparts a bitter taste and anti-nutritional properties, making it unsuitable for human consumption and often wasted. This study addresses this issue by using boiling treatments with citric acid (CA) and distilled water (DW) to reduce the saponin content while evaluating the impact on APC quality. In addition, this study explores, for the first time, the incorporation of treated argan press cake, APC-CA and APC-DW, at different levels (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) into whole wheat flour (WWF) for bread production to improve the nutritional profile. The results indicate that both treatments significantly reduce saponin content while maintaining nutritional quality comparable to untreated APC. This includes a 50% reduction in phytic acid levels. The absence of tryptophan fluorescence emission was observed in APC-CA, which may be related to chemical degradation or interactions with other molecules. The substitution of APC-CA and APC-DW increased the protein of composite flours in a level-dependent manner. At substitution levels up to 10%, APC-CA and APC-DW positively influenced the technological properties of the bread. This study demonstrates the potential of APC to improve the nutritional value of bread and supports zero-waste initiatives by reusing by-products.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/8/1315argan press cakepre-treatmentnutritional enhancementcomposite flourintrinsic structure breadwaste management |
| spellingShingle | Asma El Kaourat Hasnae Choukri Badr Eddine Kartah Ahmed Snoussi Giuseppe Zeppa Aouatif Benali Mouna Taghouti Hanae El Monfalouti Pre-Treatment Effects on Chemico-Physical Characteristics of Argan Press Cake Used for Bread Production Foods argan press cake pre-treatment nutritional enhancement composite flour intrinsic structure bread waste management |
| title | Pre-Treatment Effects on Chemico-Physical Characteristics of Argan Press Cake Used for Bread Production |
| title_full | Pre-Treatment Effects on Chemico-Physical Characteristics of Argan Press Cake Used for Bread Production |
| title_fullStr | Pre-Treatment Effects on Chemico-Physical Characteristics of Argan Press Cake Used for Bread Production |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pre-Treatment Effects on Chemico-Physical Characteristics of Argan Press Cake Used for Bread Production |
| title_short | Pre-Treatment Effects on Chemico-Physical Characteristics of Argan Press Cake Used for Bread Production |
| title_sort | pre treatment effects on chemico physical characteristics of argan press cake used for bread production |
| topic | argan press cake pre-treatment nutritional enhancement composite flour intrinsic structure bread waste management |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/8/1315 |
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