*3.3. Pecan Nut Cakes*

TP, CT and AC of cakes generated from dry pecan nuts are presented in Table 3. The reference cake showed TP, CT and AC values of 20.0 ± 1.0 mmol gallic acid EQ/100 g db, 15.4 ± 1.0 mmol catechin EQ/100 g db and 14.7 ± 1.0 mmol Trolox EQ/100 g db, respectively. TP varied from 18.1 ± 0.7 to 20.6 ± 1.8 mmol gallic acid EQ/100 g db in control cakes while, in PEF-treated cakes, TP decreased by 20.9% at 0.8 kJ/kg compared to its control (Table 3). The application of 0.8 and 7.8 kJ/kg increased the CT content of cakes by 27.0 and 10.7%, respectively, compared to their respective control cakes. An overall improvement in AC of cakes generated from PEF-treated kernels was observed with the highest increment observed at 0.8 kJ/kg, increasing by 24.3% in comparison with its control.

**Table 3.** Phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity (AC) of cakes generated from dry pecan nuts.


*W*, specific energy input. Reference kernels were not soaked nor PEF processed. Control kernels were placed in tap water for 3, 20 and 35 min corresponding to PEF-treated kernels processed at 0.8, 7.8 and 15.0 kJ/kg, respectively. Total phenolics, condensed tannins, and AC were expressed per 100 g of defatted cake. Means with an asterisk indicated a significant difference from the control (α = 0.05).
