Formulation of Energy Bars by using
Sunflower Seeds
Sowmya Chowdary Mannepalli1*, P. Naga Deepthi2, L.V. Sai Mohana3, A. Surya
Kumari4, S. Venkata Seshagiri5
1,2,3,4,5 Department of Food Technology, Hindu College, Guntur.
Abstract - The study discusses the popularity and nutritional benefits of snack foods, with a focus
on granola bars as a versatile and nutrient-dense option. The importance of energy bars for
athletes and individuals with busy lifestyles is highlighted. The study aims to develop a high-
protein, high-energy nutritional bar using plant sources. Oats are emphasized for their rich
nutrient profile, including carbohydrates, fiber, proteins and various bioactive compounds. Dates
and almonds contribute additional nutrients and health benefits. Sunflower seeds are recognized
for their therapeutic benefits, while honey is for its antibacterial and nutritional properties. The
energy bars, including a basic version and two variations, were analyzed for various nutritional
parameters. The moisture content exhibited slight increments, measuring from 6.83±0.01, to
7.03±0.01, while the ash content showed minimal differences at 0.05±0.01. Energy content
increased from 380±0.032 to 410±0.026, and protein content ranged from 9.17±0.01 to 9.19±0.01.
Fat composition showed marginal variations while the fiber content was measured at 6.67±0.01,
6.77±0.01 and 6.78±0.01 grams. Ascorbic acid concentrations increased from 0.7±0.015 to
0.81±0.0026, while thiamine and riboflavin concentrations showed slight fluctuations. Sensory
evaluation revealed that T2 (30% honey) scored highest in various categories, including color
(8.5±0.527), taste (8.6±0.516), texture (8.2±0.788), flavor (8.5±0.707), appearance (8.5±0.527) and
overall acceptability (8.6±0.516). T2 emerged as the most preferred, followed by T1 (25% honey)
and T3 (35% honey).
Keywords - Energy Bars, Snack foods, Quantitative Analysis, Sensory Evaluation, Bioactive
Compound Analysis, Granola.
INTRODUCTION
Snack foods have always been popular among consumers for a variety of factors, including flavour,
appearance and texture. Snack foods are unique dietary groupings that are always expanding and have
long been essential to contemporary lifestyles. Granola is a very nutrient-dense snack food that can be
made using a variety of ingredients, including cereal grains, rolled or flaked oats, barley, germ element of
cereal grains, honey, almonds, raisins and more. Granola's nutritional value can be altered by varying its
constituent parts. Across the world, making granola bars from cereal grains is a common habit. Cereal
bars are an alternative snack that is convenient to eat and has practical qualities. They first appeared
about ten years ago (Sharma et al., 2014).
Most consumers who use energy bars are athletes or sports enthusiasts who lack the time for a complete
meal. Nevertheless, dieters, individuals on a restricted diet and those with erratic eating patterns can also
utilise energy bars as a source of nutrition. Snack bars offer multiple nutritional benefits such as high-
quality proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals, vitamins and fibre, along with being a very versatile
food source and a vital source of energy.
Essential fatty acids and phytosterols, which serve to improve the fatty acid composition of the product,
can be found in nuts. By preserving an equilibrium between total cholesterol, LDL and HDL, the presence
of these phytosterols and other bioactive substances aids in controlling the lipo-protein profile. Lowering
the risk of certain malignancies can be achieved by managing certain characteristics (Hicks et al., 2015).
Granola bars and other goods can benefit from the addition of proteins to enhance their functionality and
protein quality. High-grade, balanced protein is essential to the body's numerous regulatory functions.
The primary sources are derived from plants and animals. The aim of this study was to develop a high-
protein, high-energy nutritional bar that would provide balanced nutrients required for various bodily
functions using plant sources.
Oats, scientifically known as Avena sativa L., stand out from other cereal crops due to their abundance of
nutrients that hold significant value for various purposes such as human consumption, animal feed,
healthcare, and cosmetics. This particular cereal serves as a vital source of carbohydrates, dietary
soluble fiber, well-balanced protein, lipids, a wide range of phenolic compounds, vitamins and minerals.
While oats are predominantly utilized in breakfast cereals and snack bars, incorporating oats into diverse
products would greatly enhance the well-being of consumers (Paudel et al., 2021).
Antioxidants, vitamin E, phytic acid, phenolic acid and avenanthramides can all be found in good amounts
in oats. Oats soluble fiber has been shown to lower high blood triglyceride, cholesterol and glucose
levels. When present in sufficient quantities in diet, insoluble fiber, which serves as a water-holding
capacity agent and can shorten intestinal transit time, is a good source of fiber found in oats (Ahmad et
al., 2014).
Dates (Phoenix dactylifera) are a type of palm tree that belongs to the Arecaceae or Palmae family. The
species name dactylifera, which means "date-bearing," is derived from the Greek words daktulos,
meaning "date" and the stem of the Greek verb fero (Reem et al., 2017). With over 600 different varieties,
dates come in various shapes and possess unique organoleptic properties (Shrinath et al., 2011).
Almonds or Prunus dulcis, belong to the Rosaceae family and are well known for providing vital nutrients.
Proteins and certain minerals like calcium and magnesium can be found in almond seeds. In addition,
they contain high levels of phytosterols, mono-unsaturated fats, vitamin B, dietary fiber, and vital
minerals. Almonds' complex food matrices contain several nutrients and other phyto protective
substances that are beneficial to human physiology. Every type of nut has a high fat content, mostly
unsaturated fat and is high in energy (David et al., 2009). Almonds are helpful in the treatment of a
number of skin conditions, including eczema and acne, as well as constipation, gastroenteritis, kidney
pain, diabetes, facial neuralgia and gastric ulcers (Hari and Lakshmi, 2012).
A member of the Cucurbitaceae family, muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) is a vining plant. From seed to
marketable fruit, this warm-season crop needs a good amount of time to grow because it is susceptible to
cold temperatures. One member of the cucumber (Cucurbitaceous) family is the muskmelon (Cucumis
melo L). Another name for muskmelon is "Nut meg" melons (Chaudhari and Dhuppad, 2020).
Melon fruits are also rich in lutein, zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthin in addition to α and ß carotene. The
majority of the necessary amino acids needed for normal functioning are found in muskmelon. These
include arginine, glycine, lysine and proline in smaller amounts, as well as glutamic acid, alanine and
aspartic acid in substantial proportions. More than 40 mg of ascorbic acid are present per 100g of fresh
weight. Muskmelon is unique among fruits because it also has vitamins B1, B3 and B6, among other
nutrients. Muskmelon and other melon fruits are also rich in folate which is also known as vitamin B9
(Upasana et al., 2022).
The sunflower plant (Helianthus annuus.) is a remarkable oil seed crop that is grown all over the world for
its seeds. Nutrient-dense sunflower seeds may help with bacterial and fungal infections, cancer, heart
disease, skin disorders and chronic inflammatory problems. Numerous studies have shown sunflower
seeds to be therapeutically beneficial in a variety of clinical conditions (Ruchika et al., 2014). The
composition of sunflower seed by-products reveals their potential as a viable food ingredient in the
manufacturing of various food products (Josemar et al., 2021).
A process of dehydration inside the bee colony concentrates the upper aero-digestive tract of the bee,
which produces honey as a byproduct. Honey's antibacterial properties are its most well-known effect
(Eteraf and Najafi, 2013). Honey has many nutritional benefits, including the ability to reduce cough and
promote wound healing. It also has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities. A useful
dietary addition is honey (Meo et al., 2017).
OBJECTIVES
1. To make an innovative nutritious product.
2. To determine the nutritional value by chemical methods.
3. To determine the consumer acceptability by sensory evaluation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Raw Materials:
Good quality almonds (Purus dulcis), muskmelon seeds (Cucumis melo), oats (Avena sativa L.), honey
(Apis mellifera), sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus) and dates (Phoenix dactylifera) were procured from
local market of Guntur.
Granola Bar Preparation:
Different ingredients were used to prepare three variants of granola bar, the details of ingredients to make
the treatments are mentioned in Table 1. All the dry ingredients i.e., oats, almonds, sunflower seeds and
muskmelon seeds were roasted and crushed into small pieces to give uniformity in the final product. For
agglutination of granolas, the slurry was prepared in a stainless steel container, where the ingredients
(dates and honey) were blended and mixed with dry ingredients until a uniform mixture was obtained.
This mixture was placed on a slab and leveled using a roller pin and butter paper. After cooling, the
mixture was cut into rectangular bars with a constant weight of approximately 25 g each.
Figure 1: Flowchart of energy bars production process
Table 1: Variations with details of ingredients to prepare energy bar
Sensory Evaluation:
The formulated cereal bars were evaluated for overall acceptability (texture, colour, taste, flavour and
appearance) and the sensory evaluation was carried out as per 9 point Hedonic scale; the panel was
formed by ten semi trained judges.
Quantitative Analysis:
Moisture content was determined using approximately 3.0 g of the ground granola bar in a oven at 105ºC
until the weight constant (AAOC,1984). The ash content of potato chips was determined by muffle
furnace (AAOC, 1984). Energy was computed as follows for all the samples. Energy [kcal] [protein [g] x 4]
+ [carbohydrate [g]×4]+ [fat [g] x 9] (AOAC,1980). Protein content is determined by Folin- Lowry method
by colorimetric technique/assay. It involves a reaction in which deep blue colour solution is obtained and
its absorbance is measured at 660nm. The unknown concentration of the sample is determined by
calibration curve method. Fat determination is done by Soxhlet extraction method. As it is known, that fats
are soluble in organic solvents hence, petroleum ether is used as the extracting solvent. Here powdered
form of the sample is required for extraction. Determination of fiber content is done by enzymatic-
gravimetric method. Here the defatted sample is treated with the digestive enzymes and the residue after
digestion is weighed. This gives the amount of crude fiber present in the sample.
Bioactive Compound Analysis:
The ascorbic acid content was estimated by visual titration method using 2,4-Dichloro-phenol-Indophenol
dye method. Results were expressed as milligrams of ascorbic acid/100 g fresh weight. Ascorbic acid
(mg/100gm) = Titre value × Dye factor ×Volume made×100 / Aliquot taken ×sample weight. Thiamine
and riboflavin were extracted after acid hydrolysis of snack bars in an autoclave (15 min, 120 °C) followed
by enzymatic dephosphorylation with Taka-Diastase (3 h, 45 °C), and quantified separately by reverse-
phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results were expressed in μg/100 g dm.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The results of ANOVA mean analysis presented in a bar graph. The bar graph explains the total average
of nutritional content of energy bars in 100gms.
Figure 2: Nutrition-related claims in energy bar products (Moisture)
The moisture content in basic and two variations of energy bar was found to be 6.83±0.01,
6.97±0.01 and 7.03±0.01 respectively (Figure-2). The moisture content was maximum in variation-2 it may
be due to the presence of ingredients like honey, dates and oats. According to the study (Humera Ansari
et al., 2021) presence of oats with dates shows show more moisture content as oats have higher water
holding capacity which helps in retaining the moisture. The result reported by (Upasana et al., 2022)
found 7.28% of moisture content in an energy bar.
Table 2: Nutrients and nutritional value of energy bar (100g)
Values are mean ±SD, analysed individually in triplicate, and expressed as g/100 g
Based on the analysis, the ash content found almost similar with a very slight difference in all the energy
bar treatments i.e., 2.89±0.01, 2.92±0.01 and 2.94±0.01 respectively (Figure-3). The outcomes align with
the research conducted by (Adriana et al., 2015) who observed a rise in ash content in snack bars
containing oats. As quantity of oats is same in all treatments there is no much difference in ash content.
Figure 3: Nutrition-related claims in energy bar products the (Ash)
The energy content of the energy bars is 380±0.032, 395±0.026 and 410±0.026 respectively (Figure-4).
Since honey provides rapid energy, the outcomes improved as the quantity of honey rose. These findings
align with those of (Constantin and Istrati, 2018) who observed the energy values in snack bar are
between 363-464kcal.
Figure 4: Nutrition-related claims in energy bar products (Energy)
The protein content in energy bars are 9.17±0.01, 9.18±0.01 and 9.19±0.01 respectively (Figure-5).
According to (Coello.K.E et al., 2022) snack bars have a protein composition ranging from 7.87 to 11.62.
These results are consistent with their observations.
Figure 5: Nutrition-related claims in energy bar products (Protein)
The fat composition in energy bars are 13.48±0.01, 13.49±0.01 and 13.5±0.011 respectively (Figure-6).
These results concur with those of (Upasana et al., 2022) who found that energy bars have a fat level of
about 13.47%.
Figure 6: Nutrition-related claims in energy bar products (Fat)
Energy bars include 6.67±0.01, 6.77±0.01 and 6.78±0.01 grams of fiber, respectively (Figure-7). Protein
bars range in fiber composition from 5.81 to 7.16 (Jabeen et al., 2022). Their observations are supported
by these results.
Figure 7: Nutrition-related claims in energy bar products (Fiber)
According to (Figure-8), the ascorbic acid concentration of the energy bars is 0.7±0.015, 0.8±0.0020 and
0.81±0.0026. Protein bars range in vitamin C content from 0.07 to 1.10, according to Tamara et al. (2022).
Their observations are supported by these results.
Figure 8: Nutrition-related claims in energy bar products (Ascorbic acid (Vit-C))
Thiamine concentrations in the energy bars are 0.34±0.01, 0.342±0.0008 and 0.344±0.001 mg,
respectively (Figure-9). The thiamine composition of protein bars ranges from 3.33 (Jovanov et al., 2021).
These findings corroborate their observations.
Figure 9: Nutrition-related claims in energy bar products (Thiamine (Vit-𝐵1))
The riboflavin concentrations of the energy bars are 0.34±0.02, 0.345±0.001 and 0.347±0.001, as shown
in (Figure-10). Riboflavin level in protein bars varies from 0.11 to 3.3, per (Constantin and Istrati, 2018).
These findings corroborate their observations.
Figure 10: Nutrition-related claims in energy bar products (Riboflavin (Vit-B2))
Sensory Analysis:
The table-3 presents the findings of the organoleptic assessment conducted on energy bars that were
infused with varying amounts of honey. The sensory scores obtained from this evaluation indicate that the
cereal bars were rated as being “liked very much” to “liked moderately” by ten semi trained judges.
Table 3: Sensory evaluation of energy bars
Values are mean ±SD, analysed individually in triplicate, and expressed as g/100 g
Figure 11: Examination of sensory parameters using radar charts
Upon examination of the sensory scores presented in (Table-3 and Figure-11), it becomes evident that T2
(30% honey) obtained the highest scores in various categories. For color, it received a score of
8.5±0.527, for taste it received a score of 8.6±0.516, for texture it received a score of 8.2±0.788, for flavor
it received a score of 8.5±0.707, for appearance it received a score of 8.5±0.527, and for overall
acceptability it received a score of 8.6±0.516, all of which were higher compared to the other treatments.
The data also indicates that T2 scored the highest in terms of overall acceptability with a score of
8.6±0.516, followed by T1 (25% honey) with a score of 8.2±0.632, and T3 (35% honey) with a score of
7.8±0.7888. In terms of overall acceptability, T2 was the most preferred among all the treatments, while
T3 scored the lowest. Therefore, T2, which consisted of a 30% incorporation of honey in the energy bar,
was chosen for further analysis. These results align somewhat with the findings of Latika and Vibha
(2015), who reported using 30% honey in cereal bar preparation. However, it should be noted that the
percentage of honey used in the cereal bar was slightly higher than the findings of Edmilson et al. (2011),
who used 26% honey in their cereal bar formulation.
CONCLUSION
The research study titled ‘Development of innovative nutritious energy bars’ aims to fulfill the needs of
consumers by providing them with a high-quality product. This product is a great alternative to unhealthy
junk food and can help individuals make healthier choices instantly. By incorporating ingredients such as
oats, dates, almonds and sunflower seeds, the nutritional value of the energy bar has been enhanced. It
offers a well-balanced combination of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and minerals, contributing to the
overall health improvement of consumers through the supply of bioactive and functional compounds.
Moreover, this product is suitable for consumption by people of all age groups, as it fulfills a portion of
their daily nutrient requirements. The quality of the energy bar has been further improved by maintaining
low moisture content, ensuring its freshness and longevity. From a sensory perspective, consumers tend
to favor a crunchy and nutty texture in energy bars, which has been taken into consideration during the
development process. In conclusion, this product provides an adequate amount of carbohydrates, fats,
proteins, fiber and most importantly, energy, making it a suitable option as a meal replacement bar.
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