[Development of an energy food for athletes]

The energetic requirements of sportsmen fluctuates between 3500 and 8000 Kcal/day. In order to fill these needs it is necessary to have new alternative products which provide the extra required energy. For this purpose a confectionary was designed and elaborated consisting of five different bars, made of natural raw materials (dehydrated fruits, milk, eggs, nuts, fat), which supply an important quantity of fats and carbohtdrates, minerals, and vitamins. The confectioned bars were: papaya, hazelnut, almond, apple and orange. These bars are supposed to be eaten between meals as a complement of the nutrients of the usual diet. The production process is an adaptation of the traditional confectionary techniques and was improved for the 5 bars. The production process of the coating sheet (oblate) was also studied. The controls showed that all the bars had a good microbiological quality and an excellent sensory quality. The humidity fluctuated between 6.85 and 13.66%., with an aw of 0.795. The caloric distribution per cent was 8:40:52. The energetic supply was 520 Kcal/100g; so, the ingest of two displays covers between 25-30% of recommended intake for the most frequently practiced sports. The shelf life studies of the product stored in ambiental conditions (20-25 degrees C and 55-60% RH) showed that the product without additives maintained its good quality up to 60 days. The product plus preservative as well as plus antioxidant stays without quality modifications up to at least 120 days, neither rancid odor no rancid flavor was detected. So, we conclude that it is nor necessary to add any antioxidant. The double sheet polypropilene package film showed very good characteristics in protecting the quality of the product.