BANANA PASS AS SUGAR SUBSTITUTE IN FUNCTIONAL CAKE FORMULATION.

Banana is the most consumed fruit in Brazil. It is widely consumed due to its organoleptic characteristics, which is highly appreciated by consumers. Dehydration is a technological alternative to reduce post-harvest fruit losses. The objective of this work was to obtain dried banana (as a substitute for sugar in cake formulation) through dehydration of banana of the Prata variety, with subsequent convective drying in an oven and to evaluate the physicochemical parameters of: water content, total soluble solids, ash, pH and acidity. Dehydration was carried out in an oven at 70°C for 16 hours. Five cake formulations were produced with different concentrations (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) of dehydrated banana. Based on the results presented, the use of bananas as a sugar substitute is an alternative for people who want to reduce the sugar level in their food without compromising sensory quality and increasing nutritional quality. Therefore, elaborate cakes could be made available on the market in order to increase the range of sugar-free products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]