Proximate composition and sensory evaluation of gluten-free bar formulated from rice and soybean flour

Background: The growing prevalence of celiac disease and gluten intolerance is driving up the need for gluten-free food choices suitable for both adults and children. Objective: This research evaluates the formulation of a gluten-free bar, utilizing rice flour, soybean flour, or a composite blend, with other enriching elements. Methods: Five different gluten-free bars were prepared from varying ratios of rice and soybean flour, and their proximate composition, colorimetric, and sensory properties were compared to wheat-based control bar. Results: The sensory analysis revealed that the formulation with 10% soybean and 30% rice blend ratio showed an overall higher acceptability score over the other formulations and compared to the control bar (total mean score = 45.72 and 42.94, respectively). Moreover, it has a favorable proximate composition of 10.5% protein, 4.6% fiber, and only 19.9% fat content compared to other formulations. The 40% rice flour formulation had the least sensory and chemical attributes compared to other formulations. Conclusions: The 10:30 soybean-rice formulation with fortifying ingredients achieved superior consumer acceptability while maintaining an optimal proximate profile, establishing an evidence-based benchmark for the industrial scale-up of high-protein, gluten-free bars. However, further research is required to optimize shelf-life stability for commercial distribution.