Evaluation of the effect of Arabica coffee pulp waste as a sugar substitute on the antioxidant, textural and sensory properties of beneficial chocolate

Chocolate is one of the most widely consumed snacks in the diet. In recent years, with the introduction of healthy foods, researchers have sought to enhance products with alternative ingredients to enhance their health effects. The aim of this study was to replace Arabica coffee grounds powder with chocolate formulation and to investigate its properties. Arabica coffee grounds were added to the chocolate formulation at four levels of 0.20, 40 and 60% and its antioxidant, textural and sensory properties were evaluated. The results showed that with increasing the amount of coffee grounds, the level of polyphenols, flavonoids, as well as the percentage of free radical scavenging of DPPH, increased in the presence of coffee grounds. Also, the results of sensory analysis showed that coffee pulp did not have a significant negative effect on the textural properties of chocolate and from the point of view of feeling the oral texture of chocolate was desirable. Despite the unfavorable effect of coffee grounds, the treatment had the lowest score of 60% in terms of general acceptance, but due to the favorable taste of Arabica coffee on chocolate, the treatment received the highest score of 20%. According to the test results, this product can be used as an increase in nutritional health and human health. Therefore, the use of amounts less than 20% is recommended to improve the quality and antioxidant properties.