Sensory Characteristics and Chemical Composition of Coco – Enhanced Food Bar

Objectives: The present study seeks to determine the sensory qualities, nutritional and microbiological characteristics of coconut enhanced food bar. Snack bars of this kind offer a new way to fuse potential health benefits as well as an appealing food profile. Methods: A completely randomized design was used as the main research design of the study. Purposive sampling technique was implemented in the selection of fifty sensory evaluators. Findings: The researchers set three formulations of coconut enhanced food bars. An increasing amount of grated coconut meat was added to each treatment. Treatment 1 with ½ cup grated coconut meat whereas treatment 2 and treatment 3 both had ¾ cup and 1 cup of grated coconut meat respectively. Treatment 3 was discovered to have the highest mean score in terms of its sensory attributes. In addition, the food bar with the best sensory attributes also exhibited a notable level of nutritional content such as 15.25 percent of fat, 4.78 percent of protein and 70.47 percent of carbohydrates per 100 grams of the sample. It was confirmed that the treatment 3 with ½ cup grated coconut meat also passed the stringent quality and criteria requirement of the Philippine Food and Drug Administration in the production of foods bars. All microbial test results are within the acceptable limits of safety for human consumption. Novelty: Production of coconut enhanced food bar is a novel way of introducing coconut derivatives in food development. This snack option offers a well-balanced sensory and nutritional profile that opens new horizons for further usage of coconut based raw materials in food innovation. Keywords: Food Bar, Sensory Characteristics, Chemical Composition, Coconut, Formulation