Nutritional composition and acceptance of cake elaborated with beauregard potato biofortified with carotenoids

Beauregard biofortified sweet potato is a tuberous root with a high content of carotenoids whose consumption can bring beneficial effects on human health related to the biological actions of these substances. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the acceptance of cake made with sweet potato biofortified with carotenoids by school children enrolled in a school of the municipal education network of the city of Teresina PI. The sweet cake containing biofortified potato (Beauregard) (PC) was compared with standard sweet wheat flour (WC) cake formulation. The PC and WC products and the Beauregard potato were analyzed for centesimal composition (moisture, ashes, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates) and total carotenoid content. Acceptance of PC was assessed by means of an acceptance test with a hedonic scale of five points applied to 100 children from 08 to 10 years of age. The evaluation of the centesimal composition showed protein content corresponding to 2.1% in WC and 3.57% in PC, and of lipids of 5.16% in WC and 8.95% in PC. Regarding the moisture content, WC presented 32.5% and PC 38.44%. The content of fixed minerals (ash) found in formulations was 1.9% and 1.26%, respectively, in WC and PC. The carotenoid content (mu g of beta-carotene.g(-1)) was significantly higher (p <0.05) in the biofortified potato (3,200.01 +/- 0.02) and in the PC formulations (3,666.17 +/- 2.55) and WC (3,066.53 +/- 1.88) for common sweet potatoes (2.200,23 +/- 1.63). In the five-point facial hedonistic acceptance test, the formulation containing biofortified potato (PC) obtained a significantly higher score (p <0.05) (4.24 +/- 0.93) when compared to the WC formulation (3.75 +/- 1.19). The biofortified potato and the cake containing the biofortified potato presented some characteristics related to the centesimal composition similar to those found in WC and the content of carotenoids in PC larger than those of WC. Because sweet cake is a food product, generally well accepted by children and adults, PC's greater acceptance of WC suggests its promising potential for consumption by the population.