Exploring the Storage Effect on Nutritional, Physicochemical, and Sensory Characteristics of Rice Based Composite Snacks Fortified with Foeniculum vulgare and Amaranthus spp. Leaf Powders

Abstract

Rice is a staple food for more than half of the global population. Despite its widespread use as a main source of energy, it can serve as an efficient matrix for adding plant materials with proven health effects. The study assessed nutritional, physical, instrumental color, and sensory properties of rice composite snacks with the addition of 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, and 7% (Foeniculum vulgare and Amaranthus spp.) during 0, 30, 60, and 90 days of storage. The nutritional composition was determined according to the standard AOAC methods, the color parameters by HunterLab ColorFlex colorimeter, physical parameters by using standard calipers and spread ratio, while sensory evaluation was done on a 9-point hedonic scale. The results revealed that ice snacks with the addition of Foeniculum vulgare and Amaranthus spp. have statistically significantly higher levels of crude protein, crude fiber, ash, and fat contents than the control (p < 0.05). The addition of powders increased thickness and weight of snacks but decreased the diameter and spread ratio due to their water binding properties. The instrumental color measurement showed that there was a gradual reduction in the L* and b* values of the samples, meaning that color became darker. There were some notable differences among the sensory parameters of the snack in terms of color, texture, and flavor intensity, in which the 7% enrichment of Foeniculum vulgare and Amaranthus spp received lower ratings, but the 4% enrichment of Foeniculum vulgare and Amaranthus spp (T4) showed the highest acceptability (8.18 on day 0 and 7.71 after 90 days).