Alternative Food Supplements in the Form of Catfish Meal-Cowpea Based Biscuits and Their Implications for Acceptability

Abstract : Energy-protein deficiency is one of the nutritional disorders, the highest prevalence is in toddlers, pregnant, and breastfeeding mothers. has long-term impacts that result in slow growth and development, decreased intelligence, decreased immunity, productivity, and health and mental problems. However, energy-protein deficiency can be overcome through a high-energy and protein diet therapy program by providing additional food (PMT) in the form of biscuits, but PMT biscuits often experience stock limitations so that the KEP resolution program also always fluctuates following its availability, to solve the KEP problem, there needs to be innovation in nutrition through the use of local foods such as catfish and cowpeas which are processed and presented in the form of biscuit products as additional food substitutes. This study used an experimental method with a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) consisting of 5 treatments and 4 replications, the treatments are as follows; P0; commercial food supplement biscuits (control), P1; biscuits containing 10% catfish-cowpea flour, P2; biscuits containing 20% catfish-cowpea flour, P3; biscuits containing 30% fish meal-cowpea flour, P4; biscuits containing 40% catfish meal-cowpea flour. The data were analyzed using one way-Anova statistical test and continued with the least significant difference (LSD) test using SPSS 24 software. Based on the results of statistical tests using a one-way ANOVA test at a 95% confidence level (p <0.05), it shows that there is a significant difference (p = 0.027) in the color of the biscuits, there is a significant difference (p = 0.020) in the taste of the biscuits, while the texture of the biscuits shows an insignificant difference (p = 0.094), and the aroma of the biscuits also shows an insignificant difference (p = 0.091). The conclusion of this study is based on the results of the organoleptic test, this study shows the potential for using catfish flour and cowpeas as alternative raw materials to increase protein content in food products, but requires optimization in terms of consumer acceptance.