Exploring the Nutritional Quality Improvement in Cereal Bars Incorporated with Pulp of Guava Cultivars

摘要

Fruits play an important role in human diet because they are dynamic bases of minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber. They are rich sources of iron, phosphorous, calcium, and magnesium and contribute 90% of dietary vitamin C. Yellow and green fruits are rich in vitamin A (beta carotene) folic acid, niacin and thiamine which are vital for normal functioning of the human body. Due to the high perishability, Guava fruit ripen quickly in a few days after harvesting at room temperature. Due to its delicate nature it cannot be stored for a longer period of time. The surplus quantity of the fruit remains unsold and goes to waste during peak harvest season. Extension in post-harvest shelf life and preservation of guava fruit is the pre-requisite for the economical and efficient utilization of this important fruit commodity in Pakistan. Guava pulp is considered as a rich source of fiber, ash, polyphenols, and sugars. This study was aimed to develop cereal based bars using different varieties of guava pulp from two cultivars (Gola and Surahi) (GP) at different concentrations (10% and 15%). Prepared bars were subjected to the proximate analysis. The results demonstrated high moisture, protein and lower level of fat contents in the bars. Bars with guava pulp of Gola cultivar (15%) showed the high level of moisture (6.34 ± 0.03 to 6.47 ± 0.02), protein (4.69 ± 0.02 to 4.61 ± 0.01), fiber (3.85 ± 0.05 to 3.84 ± 0.06) and fat (3.42 ± 0.05 to 3.06 ± 0.03) contents. Then the bars were evaluated for sensory acceptance by trained personal. The sensory analysis showed satisfactory acceptance of the bars containing 10% guava pulp (GP) regarding the aroma, flavor, and textural attributes. The bars containing 15% GP received satisfactory acceptance regarding to aroma only but their texture was not too good. The bars were stored for 14 days and the effect of storage were studied on the bars.