Cushuro (Nostoc sphaericum) polysaccharide was used to co-microencapsulate sacha inchi oil, natural antioxidant extracts from the oleoresin of charapita chili peppers (Capsicum frutescens L.) and grape orujo (Vitis vinifera L.). Encapsulation efficiency, moisture, particle size, morphology, oxidative stability, shelf-life, solubility, essential fatty acid profile, sterol content and antioxidant capacity were evaluated. The formulations with grape orujo extract showed higher oxidative stability (4908 ± 184 h), antioxidant capacity (4835.33 ± 40.02 µg Trolox/g ms), higher phenolic contents (960.11 ± 53.59 µg AGE/g ms) and a smaller particle size (7.55 µm) than the other formulations, as well as good solubility and a low moisture content. Therefore, grape orujo extracts can be used as natural antioxidants. The fatty acid composition (ω-3) remained quite stable in all the formulations carried out, which also occurred for sterols and tocopherols. In combination with gum arabic, grape orujo extract offered oxidative protection to sacha inchi oil during the first week of storage.

The jumbo squid fishery in Peru is the second most important after the anchovy fishery. During its manufacturing process, only 50% to 60% of the total jumbo squid is used, thereby, the residues could be used to develop functional foods. Cañihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule Aellen) is an Andean pseudocereal from the highlands of Peru characterized by its high nutritional value. This work aimed to develop extruded snacks with protein hydrolyzed (PH) from jumbo squid by-product (JSBP) due to its high protein content, low price, and high availability. Four extruded snacks with corn flour (55%), rice flour (20% to 30%) and cañihua flour (15%) were enriched with PH from JSBP (4% to 10%) and developed using a twin-screw extruder. The extruded snacks were characterized by their physical properties (density, expansion ratio, water absorption index) and shelf life. The addition of PH from JSBP increased the protein content from 11.20% to 15.39%; ash content from 1.40% to 1.66% and fat content ranged from 1.10% to 1.18% compared to the control sample, the moisture content was from 4.46% to 5.81%. Also, the extruded snacks showed high phenolic concentration, 5633 µg GAE/g snack to 7315 µg GAE/g snack, high antioxidant activity, 698 mg trolox/g snack to 1274 mg trolox/g snack, high in vitro protein digestibility, 72.58% to 74.40%, and low acid index (0.095 mg KOH/g snack to 0.105 mg KOH/g snack) and peroxide index (0.00 meq O₂/kg snack to 0.063 meq O₂/kg snack), respectively. The snacks were accepted by the panel evaluators, complied with the Peruvian standard NTP-209.226 and microbiological requirements. Therefore, these snacks can be a healthier alternative product and satisfy market trends.

The bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) known as the ñuña, numia, or Andean popping bean, native to the central Andes of Peru, is often consumed as a snack food after a quick toasting process. The characterization of two of its varieties, red and gray ñuña beans, was performed to determine their proximate composition, total phenolics, and antioxidant activity. Moisture content ranged from 12.67% (red ñuña bean) to 11.94% (gray ñuña bean); fat content varied from 1.77% (red ñuña bean) to 1.44% (gray ñuña bean); protein content was high, with a content range from 23.90% (red ñuña bean) to 26.81% (gray ñuña bean); ash content ranged from 4.04% (red ñuña bean) to 3.88% (gray ñuña bean); and a high content of carbohydrates was also found (from 57.60 to 55.94%). The phenolic compounds were consistently higher according to particle size, and the total phenolic content varied from 8589 µg of gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g powder (red ñuña bean) to 3478 µg GAE/g powder (gray ñuña bean), with antioxidant activity varying from 9879 µg trolox/g powder (red ñuña bean) to 5539 µg trolox/g powder (gray ñuña bean). Food prototypes were then developed with the hydrolyzed proteins from ñuña beans, mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum) tuber flour, purple corn (Zea mays L.) flour, and pota (Dosidicus gigas) by-product meal with a high content of protein and omega-3 acids (~50% eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on total fat).

In Peru, 5 of every 10 children suffer from malnutrition, which increases the risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at the early stages of their life. Sacha inchi (Plukenetia huayllabamana) cake is the by-product of the oil extraction process of the Amazon Peruvian seed and has high protein (56%) and fiber (5.9%) content. Tarwi (Lupinus mutabilis Sweet) is a Peruvian legume characterized by its high protein content (>50%) and high levels of tyrosine and tryptophan amino acids. Thus, the purpose of this research was to develop high-protein cookies enriched with defatted sacha inchi cake (DSIC) and defatted tarwi (DT) as an alternative snack to combat child malnutrition. Five types of cookies were developed, along with one control sample, containing corn flour (50% w/w), rice flour (20% w/w), and varying the content of quinoa flour, DSIC flour and DT flour (0, 10%, 30% w/w). The addition of DSIC and DT increased the content in protein from 12.13% to 20.30%, fat from 6.76% to 10.42%, and ash from 1.51% to 1.89% compared to the control sample. In contrast, the moisture content decreased from 10.21% to 10.78% and carbohydrates from 59.73% to 67.48%. Moreover, all cookies had high in vitro digestibility (70.91% to 74.17%) and relatively high antioxidant activity (346 to 469 μg GAE/g cookie) and phenolic content (1286 to 1755 μg trolox/g cookie). Sensory analysis showed that cookies enriched with DT were more appealing to the panelists than those enriched with DSIC and the control sample. Hence, these cookies could serve as a gluten-free nutritional food alternative to combat child malnutrition.

The giant squid (Dosidicus gigas) is a marine product from the Pacific Ocean. Its by-products can be used to obtain bioactive products such as collagen, proteins, and others. This work aimed to develop cookies enriched with Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and native collagen from pota nape high in protein content, minerals, and antioxidants. Four formulations (4, 8, 12 and 16% collagen) were developed and compared with the control sample. The results showed higher protein (11.7 ± 0.3–20.8 ± 0.4%) content, lower moisture (4.7 ± 0.1–5.6 ± 0.2%), higher ash (3.0 ± 0.1–3.83 ± 0.09%), lower fat (15.29 ± 0.05–15.8 ± 0.1), and lower carbohydrate (53.89 ± 1.05–65.39 ± 0.82%) content than the control sample. Also, the cookies showed a significant content of polyphenols (618 ± 24–934 ± 23 µg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g), antioxidant activity (8182 ± 59–8369 ± 73 µg trolox/g) and in vitro digestibility (70.8 ± 0.1–73.6 ± 0.5%) than the control sample. The cookies also had a high mineral content: calcium (3893 ± 19 mg/kg), potassium (3222 ± 16 mg/kg), and magnesium (2108 ± 11 mg/kg). In addition, the cookies presented an adequate balance of amino acids, principally of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, glycine, threonine, arginine, alanine, proline, valine, phenylalanine, and leucine. The cookies complied with the Peruvian legislation of the Healthy Law about the promotion of healthy eating for children and adolescents and with the microbiological requirements. Finally, the cookies showed a sensory acceptance of 77.8% and a shelf life of 184 days determined by the Rancimat method. The native collagen from pota nape could be used with quinoa flour to develop functional foods to help reduce child malnutrition.