Formulation And Quality Evaluation Of Antioxidant Rich Bars Enriched With Chia Seed, Whole Mango, Apple And Guava

An insalubrious diet regime and lack of physical exercise are the root causes for the causation of metabolic diseases. Thus, need for food choices that are nutritious, rich in antioxidants and are ready to eat has grown to a great extent. Accordingly, the present study was planned to develop an antioxidant rich bar with puffed wheat, Chia seed, mango (Leather+peel powder), apple (whole fruit Leather), guava (whole fruit Leather), peanut and honey in different proportions using standard bar moulds. Therefore, three types of bars were prepared, namely mango Chia seed bar, apple Chia seed bar and guava Chia seed bar. Formulated mango Chiaseed bar of 55g showed the highest overall acceptability with 2g mango peel powder and 8g mango leather. Apple Chiaseed bar and guava Chia seed bar were found acceptable on incorporation of 5g leather of apple and guava respectively. The fatty acid profile of the selected bars showed significant increase (p<0.01) in PUFA content. A significant increase (p<0.01) was found in vitamin C and beta-carotene content, both of which act as a good natural antioxidants. The bioactive component and antioxidants such as total phenols, flavonoids, tannins showing DPPH, FRAP, ABTS and RPA activity elevated to significant (p<0.01) levels with the highest content in mango chia seed bar. The bar prepared was acceptable and nutrient-dense, therefore can be consumed by the general population to prevent and cure lifestyle diseases by increasing antioxidant content in their diet.