Cereal and nut bars, nutritional quality and storage stability

Abstract

Six snack-type bars were manufactured, to contain oat and wheat germ and two different walnut levels, agglutinated with natural sweeteners and fats. Two bars also contained toasted amaranth with brown sugar cover and wheat extrudate, while two others, contained puffed instead of toasted amaranth. Water activity (Aw) and moisture were determined in the manufactured products. Quality and sensory evaluation and proximate analysis were carried out on the bars containing highest levels of walnuts (18%). The caloric contribution of the bars was computed by Atwater methods. The nutritional quality of the bars was determined by means of the Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) and Net Protein Ratio (NPR), and the results were used to obtain relative PER and relative NPR. Samples of the latter bars were kept under accelerated storage for 15 days at 37 degrees C and analyzed every 5 days to determine their Aw, moisture, peroxide and sensory acceptability. The drying time for the cereal - and walnut - based bars was 45 min at 120 degrees C. All bars presented a good fiber supply and the CN1 bar, containing only oat, wheat germ and walnut, had the greatest protein content. In the sensory evaluation, the walnut level with the greatest preference was 18%. PER and NPR values of the bars did not differ significantly showing values approximately 86% that of the casein value. During storage, the moisture and Aw decreased in all the bars. Peroxides remained within the acceptable ranges; acceptability based on sensory evaluation remained best in the bar with toasted amaranth.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Enhancing the Nutritional Value of Oat Bars

“…F 1 recorded the lowest value of a w (0.683). The a w significantly decreased during storage for three months as found by Estévez et al [52]. The water activity values of cereal bars containing pineapple peel ranged from 0.66 to 0.72 [53].…”

“…The values of hardness influence in the acceptance of the cereal bars [52]. The addition of pumpkin made cereal bar more compact, which increased its strength to cut and hardness.…”

Desenvolvimento de barras de cereais à base de aveia com alto teor de fibra alimentar

“…As barras de cereais são alimentos de fácil consumo, requerem pouco ou nenhum preparo e durante muito tempo seus valores nutritivos foram pouco enfatizados 17 . Os cereais Os cereais em barra são uma classe de produtos de confeitaria, de forma retangular, vendidos em embalagens individuais e têm apresentado um rápido crescimento no mercado 23,28 .…”

Nutritional Value and Consumer Acceptance of New Cereal Bars Offered to Children

“…To help children make better food choices, healthier snack options should be easily available [Holmer et al, 2012]. Nowadays there is a trend to produce natural, nutritious snacks according with the tendency to reduce consumption of sugary sweets [Estevez et al, 1995]. However nutritive value of snacks for children has been scarcely emphasized.…”