Development of cookies with beet flour and coconut sugar: acceptability index in school-age children

Novel food development is a challenging process that requires multiple steps and the collaboration of professionals from different fields, such as engineering, marketing, quality control, and research. Currently, there is growing concern about health and eating habits, especially when it comes to children, who are more susceptible to excessive consumption of sugars. In Brazil, sugar consumption is above that recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which contributes to the increase in chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. Given this scenario, this study focused on the creation of a cookie with reduced added sugar, using ingredients such as beet flour, coconut sugar and rice flour, chosen for their nutritional properties and low glycemic index. The research followed a mixed approach and had the participation of 53 children, after applying exclusion criteria, such as the presence of food allergies or intolerances. The development of the product was carried out in the UNIFUNEC laboratory, following the guidelines of Good Manufacturing Practices (RDC 216/2004). The project was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee, approved under opinion No. 7,594,421. Three versions of the recipe were tested, and the third was selected for sensory analysis because it has a softer texture and a more balanced nutritional composition. The acceptance of the product was evaluated using the facial hedonic scale, revealing that 77.35% of the children said they had "liked it a lot"