DEVELOPMENT OF A WAFER-TYPE ENERGY SNACK WITH POTENTIAL FOR APPLICATION AS A PRE-WORKOUT

Proper nutrition is essential for physical performance, especially in contexts of intense training, where there is high energy demand. Practical and energetic foods, such as pre-workout options, have gained space, highlighting ingredients such as coffee for being a source of caffeine and hypercaloric supplements, which contribute to energy intake and support sports metabolism. The objective of this work was to develop and sensorially evaluate energy wafer formulations with potential for application as a pre-workout for athletes and sportsmen. Three formulations were elaborated: standard (F1), one with partial replacement of powdered milk by commercial hypercaloric (F2: 50% hypercaloric and 50% powdered milk) and another with total replacement of powdered milk (F3: 100% hypercaloric). The nutritional composition was carried out based on theoretical food composition tables. Sensory analysis was performed through an affective test with a hedonic scale with 40 untrained consumers, of both sexes, aged between 17 and 40 years, practicing physical activity. The attributes appearance, aroma, flavor, texture, bitterness, sweetness, global acceptance and purchase intention were evaluated. Statistical analysis was conducted using the SPSS program, adopting 5% significance. The formulations presented different nutritional compositions, with F1 containing the lowest caloric value (272kcal/100g), while F3 (100% hypercaloric) reached 305kcal/100g. The replacement with 100% hypercaloric (F3) increased the carbohydrate levels (F1: 44 g/100g; F3: 55 g/100g) and reduced lipids (F1: 5.3 g/100g; F3: 4.5 g/100g) to the detriment of the standard formulation (F1), with F2 obtaining intermediate levels compared to the others. Sensorially, all samples presented good averages for global acceptance (F1: 7.56; F2: 7.37; F3: 7.51), with no significant difference (p>0.05) and with acceptability indices higher than 80% for all evaluated attributes. Among the highlighted attributes, aroma was the best evaluated (F1: 7.88; F2: 8.00; F3: 8.05), followed by sweetness (F1: 7.63; F2: 7.98; F3: 7.88) and flavor (F1: 7.78; F2: 7.67; F3: 7.75), corresponding between “I liked it moderately” and “I liked it very much” on the hedonic scale. Purchase intention indicated a good disposition to purchase by the evaluators (F1: 4.00; F2: 3.75; F3: 3.70) with a predominance between “I might buy it” and “I would possibly buy it”. It is concluded that the use of hypercaloric supplement was satisfactory and efficient in the development of energy wafer, especially the F3 formulation with 100% replacement, presenting an adequate nutritional profile and excellent sensory acceptance, being a viable and attractive alternative for pre-workout consumption by physical activity practitioners and athletes.