Acceptability and Nutritional Content of Snack Bars with Moringa Leaf Flour Substitution and Added Almonds as an Alternative Snack for Adolescent Girls with Anemia

Abstract

Background: Anemia among adolescent girls remains one of the major nutritional problems in Indonesia due to the increased iron requirements during growth and menstruation. One potential strategy to prevent anemia is the development of functional foods, such as snack bars, utilizing moringa leaf flour as a source of non-heme iron and almonds as a source of protein, unsaturated fats, and minerals. Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effect of moringa leaf flour substitution and almond addition on the acceptability of snack bars and to analyze the energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, and iron contents of the best-performing formula. Method: This study employed a true experimental design using a 2×2 factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four treatment combinations consisting of moringa leaf flour substitution (10% and 20%) and almond addition (40 g and 50 g). Acceptability testing was conducted using a hedonic test involving 30 semi-trained panelists to evaluate the color, aroma, texture, and taste of the snack bars. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test followed by Post Hoc Pairwise Comparisons. The best formula was determined using the De Garmo method and subsequently analyzed for its nutritional composition in the laboratory. Result: Moringa leaf flour substitution and almond addition significantly affected color (p = 0.004) and taste (p = 0.003), but had no significant effect on aroma (p = 0.631) or texture (p = 0.560). The best formula was F2, containing 10% moringa leaf flour substitution and 50 g almond addition, with nutritional values of 500.37 kcal of energy, 9.86 g of protein, 27.61 g of fat, 53.11 g of carbohydrates, and 4.64 mg of iron per 100 g. The selected formula demonstrated the highest acceptability and contained iron at a level that may contribute to meeting the iron requirements of adolescent girls. Therefore, it has the potential to be developed as a functional snack alternative to support anemia prevention.