Elaboration and characterization of a food supplement with babassu mesocarp flour

Abstract Food supplements commonly present nutritional quality, especially in plant-origin foods, contributing to the population's quality of life. The use of babassu mesocarp flour in the preparation of food supplements contributes to human nutrition as it is a nutritionally balanced food concerning carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and minerals. Babassu fruits were collected in five municipalities in the state of Maranhão/Brazil, and the mesocarp was extracted to develop four food supplement formulations per municipality. Firstly, babassu mesocarp flour was prepared in a drying and sterilization process and, subsequently, the manufacturing process of the babassu coconut flour food supplement was added with natural soy extract. The samples were subjected to proximate composition analysis to determine the percentages of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, moisture, lignin, and energy values (kcal/100 g). The study presented a product rich in carbohydrates (86%), protein values above 10% in the composition, and an average of 19% lipids, presenting a nutritional balance suitable for daily use by the population and even high-performance athletes.