Preparation and Nutritional Evaluation of Date Based Fiber Enriched Fruit Bars

Abstract

Fruit bars are the products which are manufactured with cereal grains and the other ingredients such as whole-grain cereals, flaked grains, fruit and legumes. In the present study nutritious fruit bars were prepared using date paste, cereal grains like, wheat, rice, flakes of corn, oat and barley, roasted grams, peanuts, almonds, pistachio nut, coconut powder and skim milk powder. Fruit bars were evaluated for their physico-chemical, microbial and sensory properties. Results showed that fruit bars containing dry mix fruits showed maximum protein (13.63%) and ash (3.93%) content while the maximum fiber content (8.07%) was found in fruit bars containing coconut powder. The maximum gross energy (386.96Kcal) was given by peanut based fruit bar. The microbial analysis of all the bars showed results within acceptable limits due to low water activity and high sugar content which posed no threats for microbiological growth. The study verified that date and dried fruits can be used to prepare date based fiber enriched fruit bars of good sensory and nutritional value which provide substantial amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, dietary fiber and minerals.