# Impact of Coconut Copra Byproducts Incorporation on Granola Quality Characteristics
## 3 Results and Discussion  
### Techno-Functional Characteristics of the Blends  
The techno-functional characteristics of coconut copra (CC) and banana flour (BF) blends were analyzed through several key parameters that indicate their potential behavior in food applications (Figure 2). Water holding capacity (WHC) values ranged from 4.27 \(\pm\) 0.06 g/g DM for BF to 7.18 \(\pm\) 0.54 g/g DM for CC75/25 BF. Pure CC (6.83 \(\pm\) 0.29 g/g DM) and CC50/50 BF (6.83 \(\pm\) 0.51 g/g DM) showed identical WHC values, with all blends showing statistically similar results, while BF was significantly different. [PERSON] and [PERSON] (2024) [23] reported that the WHC of copra meal was 4.14-4.18 g/g, lower than that reported in our study. The water absorption capacity (WAC) demonstrated a clear trend, with pure CC (4.44 \(\pm\) 0.26 g/g DM) and CC75/25 BF (4.12 \(\pm\) 0.08 g/g DM) samples having higher absorption than CC50/50 BF (3.47 \(\pm\) 0.41 g/g DM), and BF (3.09 \(\pm\) 0.05 g/g DM). According to the research by [PERSON] et al. (2017) [24], the WAC of banana flour reached a maximum of 0.6 g H\({}_{2}\)O/g DM and according to [PERSON] et al. (2021) [25], 1.10 g H\({}_{2}\)O/g DM. These values are much lower than that recorded for pure CC flour, hence the decreasing trend of this parameter with increasing amounts of banana flour in blends. The WAC could be influenced by the physical state of starch, as well as the dietary fiber and protein content in the flour. According to [PERSON] et al. (2023) [26], copra meal contains 47.21% TDF with a predominance of IDF (41,48%), and according to [PERSON] et al. (2021) [25], banana flour contains approximately 8.0% TDF. This is the reason for the high water absorption of copra flour. [PERSON] et al. (2022) [27], who studied coconut flour flakes with a crude fiber content of 2.8%, recorded a WAC three times lower than ours for CC. The higher water absorption  
Figure 2: Techno-functional characteristics of coconut copra and banana flour blends. CC—coconut copra; BF—banana flour; WHC—water holding capacity; WAC—water absorption capacity, OAC—oil absorption capacity; HLL—hydrophilic-lipophilic index, WAI—water absorption index; WSI—water solubility index; SP—swelling power; different lowercase letters within the parameter mean significant differences at \(p\) = 0.05.  
capacity of the samples could enhance the sensory properties of copra flour when used as a breakfast meal. This improvement contributes to increased satiety and bulkiness, as the water absorption capacity is a critical hydration property leading to greater swelling power [28]. The oil absorption capacity (OAC) demonstrated an inverse trend, with BF showing the highest value (2.07 \(\pm\) 0.04 g/g DM). The OAC values obtained are 15 times higher than those reported by [PERSON] et al. (2017) [24] for banana flour (0.12 g oil/g DM), which may give us knowledge about the possibility of using copra flour to enhance the taste sensation in cereal products such as granola or breakfast cereals. A slightly lower OAC value (1.08) was observed in their study on unripe banana flour by [PERSON] et al. (2021) [25]. The hydrophilic-lipophilic index (HLI) values revealed a decreasing trend from CC (2.71 \(\pm\) 0.15) to BF (1.50 \(\pm\) 0.05). This characteristic could be beneficial for maintaining product stability in water-based systems. Water absorption index (WAI) values followed a similar pattern and decreased progressively from CC (5.32 \(\pm\) 0.12 g/g DM) through the blends to BF (8.78 \(\pm\) 0.17 g/g DM). The water solubility index (WSI) showed relatively low values ranging from 4.9 \(\pm\) 0.5 g/100 g DM for BF to 20.5 \(\pm\) 0.3 g/100 g DM for CC, indicating that most soluble substances came from coconut copra, not banana flour. While direct WSI data for coconut copra powder are scarce, its chemical composition provides some insights. Copra, the dried kernel of the coconut, typically contains approximately 3.94% moisture, 1.59% ash, 71.62% crude fat, 8.80% crude protein, 7.15% crude fiber, and 6.90% carbohydrates [23].