Formulation of Nutritious Protein Enriched Oats Bar; A Functional Snack for Athletes' Post-Training Recovery

Protein and carbohydrates play a crucial role in athletic performance, recovery, and muscle adaptation. Carbohydrates serve as the primary fuel source, replenishing glycogen stores and preventing fatigue, while protein supports muscle repair, growth, and reduces exercise-induced muscle breakdown. Understanding the role of these macronutrients is essential for developing effective nutrition strategies tailored to athletes' specific training demands. This study aims to develop an easy to prepare, minimally processed oats energy bar, free from artificial additives. This energy bar serves as an ideal post-training or post-workout snack for athletes and active individuals. Which contains the appropriate proportions of carbohydrates to protein (1:3 ratio) to facilitate better recovery. Thereby, it leads to improved performance and recovery efficiency in subsequent training sessions. The ingredients were chosen based on their protein and carbohydrate content, easy availability, cost-effectiveness, macro and micronutrient profile, and potential for better recovery. Sensory evaluation was done using a 9-point hedonic scale to examine product attributes such as colour, appearance, aroma, consistency, taste and overall acceptance. Among panel members the oats energy bar had an overall acceptability of 8.430.68. The properties of the developed energy bar suggest it is a convenient, nutritional ergogenic aid, recommended as a post-training snack for athletes. Highlights of the Work: a) The oats protein bar is designed as a post-exercise recovery snack, incorporating protein rich ingredients and optimizing macronutrient composition for muscle recovery. b) This product satisfies the protein and carbohydrate requirements of post-training snack recommended by American College of Sports Medicine for better recovery. c) Which can be conveniently prepared at household using simple cost-effective ingredients.