Acceptability of Modified Onion Stick with Mocaf and Moringa Leaf Flour as Functional Food for Anemic Adolescent Girls

Abstract

Adolescent girls tend to be at greater risk of developing anemia compared to adolescent boys. The background is because adolescent girls have menstruation every month, but it is not accompanied by the addition of iron-rich food intake. In an effort to meet the iron needs of them, it can be done by utilizing local food products, such as mocaf flour, and moringa leaf flour. This study aims to analyze the acceptance of onion stick that have been modified into three treatments. The research design was Completely Randomized Design (CRD), using three treatments, with a comparison of mocaf flour and moringa leaf flour, namely A1 (40:4), A2 (45:5), A3 (50:6). The data were analyzed by the Kruskal Wallis statistical test, then further analyzed by the Mann-Whitney test to see whether there was a difference. The results of the organoleptic test assessment showed that there were significant differences in the parameters of color (p = 0.001), aroma (p = 0.017), taste (p = 0.000) and texture (p = 0.003) of onion stick A1, A2, and A3, the results of the Mann Whitney test showed that the A1 formula was significantly different from the A2 and A3 formulas (p<0.05). In conclusion, the onion sticks formula A1 has the best acceptability, making it possible to conduct further research on the nutritional content and its effect on the hemoglobin level of anemic adolescent girls.