Influence of Sea Buckthorn Fruit Part on Rheological, Quality and Bioactive Properties of White Chocolate Under the Circular Economic Framework

The addition of sea-buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) fruits as well as their extracted juice or related by-products into chocolate results in manufacturing an innovative func-tional food rich in bioactive substances. The effects of twelve treatments derived from the factorial combination of three types of H. rhamnoides materials (total fruit powder; fruit by-product powder; fruit juice), plus an untreated control, and four concentrations (10 %, 15 %, 20 %, and 25 %), were assessed on rheological, quality, colour, antioxidant, mineral and sensorial properties of white chocolate. The untreated control showed the highest values of rheological parameters, except for adhesiveness and cohesion, as well as of pH, dry matter, soluble solids and colour component ‘L’. The colour component ‘b’ was best influenced by the 10% by-product addition to chocolate, whereas mineral substances, ash and colour component ‘a’ augmented with increasing concentration of added H. rhamnoides materials. Compared to the untreated control, protein and fat contents in chocolate showed decreasing values with rising the added concentration of sea buckthorn fruit juice, and opposite trend under the integration of the whole fruit and its by-products. The anti-oxidant compounds and activity attained the lowest values in the untreated chocolate and increasing levels with rising concentration of added sea buckthorn materials. The juice addition to chocolate led to the highest contents of vitamin C, total carotenoids, β-carotene and lycopene, whereas the whole fruit integration fostered the top levels of flavonoids, polyphenols and antioxidant activity. Potassium and zinc contents were the highest in the untreated control and decreased with rising the H. rhamnoides material addition, whereas opposite trends were shown by calcium, magnesium, sodium and phosphorus, which in-creased with rising the sea buckthorn material addition. The integration of H. rhamnoides fruit materials into chocolate represents a valuable strategy to produce innovative health beneficial functional food.