## 4 Conclusions  
The combination of moringa leaves and baru almonds into pesto sauce enhanced the nutritional profile by increasing the protein content and reducing the fat level without compromising sensory acceptance or consumer purchase intent. The incorporation of these UFPs also influenced color attributes, enhancing the green hue; however, they did not significantly impact the concentration of total phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity in the pesto sauces.  
The key volatile compounds responsible for the characteristic aroma of pesto, such as 1,8-cineole and linalool, were preserved across all formulations, indicating that the inclusion of moringa and baru did not detract from the product's aromatic identity. Furthermore, the use of the descriptive sensory technique RATA revealed that the essential sensory attributes in pesto sauce, including a basil aroma and nutty flavor, remained consistent between the reformulated and traditional samples.  
Overall, pesto sauce proved to be a viable food matrix for incorporating underutilized regional ingredients, offering a sustainable and consumer-accepted alternative for food product innovation.  
**Supplementary Materials:** The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods14132377/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods14132377/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods14132377/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods14132377/s1)), Figure S1: Model of the evaluation forms used in the acceptability, purchase intention and sensory characterization analyzes of pesto sauce formulations; Figure S2: Chromatograms of pesto sauce samples and alkane standards; Table S1: Volatile compounds, retention index, and percentage of peak area identified in pesto sauce.  
**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, M.C.T.R.V. and A.C.d.S.P.; methodology, R.M.B., J.d.P.R., A.A.S., M.C.T.R.V. and A.C.d.S.P.; validation, R.M.B.; formal analysis, R.M.B.; investigation, R.M.B. and E.A.H.; resources, M.C.T.R.V. and A.C.d.S.P.; writing--original draft preparation, R.M.B.; writing--review and editing, E.A.H., J.d.P.R., A.A.S., M.d.C.G.P., M.C.T.R.V. and A.C.d.S.P.; visualization, R.M.B., E.A.H., M.d.C.G.P. and A.C.d.S.P.; supervision, A.C.d.S.P.; project administration, A.C.d.S.P.; funding acquisition, A.C.d.S.P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
**Funding:** This research was funded by Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior--Brasil (CAPES)--Finance Code 001, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq: 311788/2021-1; 406919/2021-6; 311425/2022-4; 403724/2023-6), Fundacao de Apoio a Pesquisa de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG: APQ-02024-21; APQ-00823-22; APQ-03953-22; BPD-00305-22; RED-00186-22), and Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP 01.23.0632.00).  
**Institutional Review Board Statement:** The study was conducted in compliance with the Ethics Committee for Human Research at the Federal University of Vicosa (UFV, Vicosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil), under approval number N\({}^{\circ}\) 6054921.  
**Informed Consent Statement:** Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.  
**Data Availability Statement:** The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.  
**Acknowledgments:** The authors wish to thank the Packaging Laboratory (DTA, UFV) and Central of Analysis and Chemical Prospecting of the Federal University of Lavras for their knowledge and infrastructure support.  
**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflicts of interest.  
**Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process:** During the preparation of this work the authors utilized ChatGPT (GPT -40) solely to enhance language and text fluency. After its use, the authors reviewed and edited the content, assuming full responsibility for the publication's content.