Desenvolvimento e caracterização de barra de cereal salgada

Abstract

Cereal bars are compact, practical, easy-to-consume foods and presented as a healthy option, attracting consumers concerned about a balanced diet and fans of different diets. Currently, these bars incorporate a variety of ingredients to meet the needs of different consumers. They can be prepared in different ways and ingredients. The appropriate cereal and process stability are fundamental to the development of this product. Analyzing the difficulty in consuming vegetables in Brazil and the development of new products, savory cereal bars with vegetable flavors can be a great alternative. The objective of this work was to develop a cereal bar to provide consumers with healthy and practical snack options. The main inputs used in the development of the bar were: oats, rice flakes, linseed, carrots, okra mucilage and two coating compounds were evaluated, agar agar or gelatin. It was necessary to dehydrate the carrot for subsequent application to the product, the carrot drying process was carried out using the freeze-drying method, moisture analysis was carried out on fresh and freeze-dried carrots and carotenoid analysis was carried out. Physicochemical analyzes were carried out (moisture, ash, proteins, dietary fiber, carbohydrates and pH); microbiological, in the cereal bar with gelatin, as it presented aspects (such as: structure, color and consistency) closer to the bars already sold. The fresh carrot had a moisture content of 89.37%, while the freeze-dried carrot reported a reduced value of 9.48%. In addition to the carotenoid index analyzed in the freeze dried carrot, which was 213.3µg/g. The salty cereal bar presented results of moisture (12.25%), ash (2.12%), lipids (1.05%), proteins (1.8%), dietary fiber (19.01%) and carbohydrates (64.27%); the pH of the bar was 5.95. Among all the results, the most satisfactory was the fiber content in the cereal bar, due to the high quantity, and the least satisfactory was the lipids content, but this was expected, since there was no addition of inputs rich in lipids. It is concluded that the development of the salty cereal bar was satisfactory and presented positive results in relation to physical-chemical characterization and microbiological analysis, being within the standards established by legislation, and can be named “source of fiber”. From this, the possibility of investing in sensory analysis studies opens up.