Characterization and acceptability of cereal bars enriched with hydrolyzed collagen

Abstract

Cereal bars are considered a nutritious food with sweet and pleasant taste, source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, proteins and complex carbohydrates, besides its convenience and association with healthy foods. The present work produced a cereal bar enriched with collagen, and had as objective to analyze the physical-chemical, microbiological and sensorial characteristics. Determinations of ash, acidity, proteins, fibers, moisture and pH were performed. The samples were submitted to microbiological analysis of Salmonella spp., total and thermotolerant coliforms. The results showed that the collagen - containing cereal bars had a relatively acidic pH (6.08) and could favor inhibition of growth of microorganisms. In addition, the samples presented high fiber content, a fact that adds nutritional value to the product. The cereal bars produced with collagen, presented higher protein content when compared to the bars of cereals available in the market. In the analyzes of acceptability and intention of purchase the bar with collagen presented good acceptability for the attributes of appearance and flavor. Thus, the development of cereal bars with addition of collagen becomes viable as an alternative for the development of new products with high nutrient value.