Study of Sensory Characteristics and Nutrient Content of Catfish and Tempeh-Based Drumstick as an Alternative Food for Children with Autism

Abstract

Children with autism are known allergic to some foods. People with autism should perform Gluten and Casein Free diet (GFCF), which means avoiding sources of foods containing casein and gluten. One fast food that has the potential to become an alternative food for GFCF diet is drumstick made of catfish and tempeh with tapioca as the food binder and coconut crumbs to replace the wheat flour and bread crumbs. The drumstick in this study was made of high-protein foods (i.e., catfish and tempeh) which aimed to add variety and additional dietary supplement that could be consumed by children with autism. This was an experimental study which aimed to identify the sensory characteristics (color, texture, smell and taste) and nutrient content (protein, carbohydrate, fat and crude fiber) of the drumsticks. This experiment used Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three treatments using different proportion of catfish and tempeh (90:10, 80:20 and 70:30%). Organoleptic test was performed using hedonic method. The results showed that the proportion of catfish and tempeh had significant effect on sensory characteristics (p<0.05). The highest protein, carbohydrates and crude fiber contents of the drumsticks were found in the third treatment while the highest fat content was shown in the first treatment. This drumstick could be used as an alternative side dish and complementary food to meet the nutritional adequacy in children with autism, as well as healthy snack for children and people in general.