Abstract
Quick meals available in markets are popular among consumers. Generally, these products are not recognized as functional foods owing to nutrient-poor composition. In this study, energy snack bars were developed with different formulations, using puffed quinoa, amaranth, cacao liquor, and coconut oil, and the effects of the addition of commercial vegetal mixtures (VM) on nutritional and functional properties were assessed. VM addition showed significant effects on the protein, lipid, and fiber contents, phenolic compounds (PHC) content, and antioxidant activity of the snacks. The control snack showed higher levels of free and bound PHC. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) analyses recorded highest values of free PHC (9392.7 μmol TE/100 g dry weight) in PC65 (concentrate based on a combination of vegetal proteins), whereas the highest bound PHC levels of 47,087 and 46,531 μmol TE/100 g dry weight were observed in PC65 and the control snacks, respectively. Sensorial attributes assessment provided a high score on the hedonic scale, wherein panelists detected no differences among the samples. Altogether, the selection of non-conventional ingredients with high antioxidant activities emerged as a successful strategy to produce sensory acceptable meals.
Highlights
In the past few years, snacks, with or without substantial nutritional value, have emerged as an alternative to quick meals
In order to obtain different ingredient combinations and produce the energy snacks, three vegetal mixtures (VM) were used, namely Provita C® (Nutrigrains®, Monterrey, Mexico), an isolate based on a combination of vegetal proteins that contained 88% proteins, 7% carbohydrates, and 2% lipids, d.w.; Provita C65®, a concentrate based on a combination of vegetal proteins that comprised of 60% proteins, 38% carbohydrates, and 2% lipids, d.w.; and Probalance® (Nutrigrains®, Monterrey, Mexico), a high dietary fiber ingredient that is based on the combination of a vegetal protein, containing 20% proteins, 40% carbohydrates, 35% dietary fiber, and 3%
The moisture content of the samples remained unaffected by the addition of VM
Summary
In the past few years, snacks, with or without substantial nutritional value, have emerged as an alternative to quick meals. Snacks are quite popular among consumers of all ages. Most of these products are not recognized as functional foods, mainly due to their nutrient-poor composition. There has been a growing interest in the manufacturing of new types of snack bars using functional components. Such snack bars can be included under the category of functional products, while keeping in mind consumers’ acceptability and suitability of the product as ready to eat [1]. Functional foods are defined as dietary items that provide nutrients and energy, and at the same time positively modulate one or more targeted functions in the body, by enhancing certain physiological responses and/or reducing the risk of certain diseases [2]
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