Physico-chemical and Sensory Analysis of Calcium-Fortified Cracker with Cricket Protein Source

Calcium (Ca) deficiency is a major public health problem that leads to bone health complications. This study aimed to develop a Ca-fortified cracker with a cricket protein source, a high-quality alternative source of protein that involves low-cost production. Four recipes of the cracker with cricket protein (Acheta domesticus) were prepared; control recipe, 15% of Ca by RDA per serving recipe (15% formula), 25% of Ca by RDA per serving recipe (25% formula), and 50% of Ca by RDA per serving recipe (50% formula). All recipes were assessed for satisfaction by 30 participants using the sensory evaluation method. The Ca-fortified cracker recipe which obtained the most acceptable rating by participants was sent for analysis, together with the control recipe. The findings of this study indicated that the 50% formula obtained significantly higher scores in taste and texture when compared with the other two Ca-fortified recipes (p<0.05). In addition, its overall satisfaction score stayed at an acceptable level. The proximate analytical results indicated there were comparable results between the 50% recipe and control recipe, such as ash (2.42 g/100g for 50% recipe and 2.03 g/100g for control), moisture (3.66 g/100g for 50% recipe 2.99 g/100g for control), and protein (4.46 g/100g for 50% recipe and 4.33 g/100g for control). For Ca, the 50% recipe obtained Ca 183.38 mg/100g and the control recipe obtained 68.89 mg/100g. In conclusion, the cracker recipe with cricket protein contained 50% of Ca by RDA per serving, was acceptable to participants and comparable on proximate composition with the control recipe.