Mixture Design Technique of Dried Fruits in Puffed Rice Bar for ASEAN Healthy Food

Abstract

A rice bar made from fruits and puffed rice was locally processed using a formula based on the “upcycled food principle”. The product used rice crumbs fried until crisp as the main ingredients, and other minor ingredients (cereals, glucose syrup, Halal gelatin), and dried fruits (banana, mango, raisin) suggested by a survey of ASEAN respondents.  The mixture design technique for mixing three dried fruits was applied to reveal the optimal mixed fruits proportion of dried mango (6.41%), dried bananas (6.06%), and raisins (11.53%). The other rice bar ingredients were puffed rice 25%, oats 10%, white sesame seeds 4%, pumpkin seeds 10%, Mung bean 9%, glucose syrup 16%, and halal gelatin 2%. The product quality analysis revealed water activity 0.63, moisture content 4.53%, peroxide value of 5.93 milli-equivalents peroxide per 1 kg food, and texture analysis indicated hardness of 44.52 Newton. Microbial content was up to Thailand Community Product Standard of fruit vegetable and cereal bar (TCPS 902/2016) and ASEAN Guidelines on Limits of Contaminants for Health Supplements (2021). Nutritional analysis results from the food standard laboratory compared with the nutritional facts of the similar products in ASEAN indicated that the formulated product was lower in energy and fat, based on 25 gram samples. One standard serving contained 90 kcal, sugar 3 grams, fat 1 gram, and 55 mg sodium. The ASEAN sensory testers generally accepted the new product. The cost of the edible rice bar was approximately 4.87 baht.