CEREAL BARS ENRICHED WITH PASSION FRUIT RIND FLOUR
In recent years, foods that have bioactive substances have stood out, prompting people to have a healthy diet with the goal of preventing diseases like obesity and diabetes. Passion fruit flour (FM), rich in pectin, β-glucan and flavonoids, is a functional food is beneficial to health. This study aimed to characterize FM and to develop cereal bars with the same FM. Physical chemical characteristics of 12% FM and sensorial concentrations of 5%, 8% and 12% cereal bars were analyzed. Total flavonoids, ash, pH, density and centesimal composition were analyzed. The total flavonoid content in the flour was 97.42 mg / 100 g and in the cereal bar was 31.71 mg / 100 g. Ashes: pure passion fruit flour had 2% and cereal bars 8%. However, the pH was lower in the pure flour (4.24) than in the cereal bar (4.89). The bars have acidic pH, low calories and are rich in soluble fibers and minerals. They stand out because they are alternative foods for patients with diabetes, mainly because of the presence of bioactive compounds. Acceptance of cereal bars containing passion fruit flour in the proportions of 5%, 8% and 12% was also verified. A total of 100 untrained testers were interviewed, and they underwent acceptance tests and purchase intent. The data were analyzed by the 6th version of Epi Info software. Mann-Whitney was used for averages. Regarding the attributes, the average acceptance was between 6 and 7 (slightly appreciated and moderately appreciated), respectively, and for the intention to buy the average response was between "maybe buy" and "buy". The addition of up to 12% of the passion fruit peel flour was approved higher than the other concentrations according to the tasters.