Development and nutritional evaluation of pomegranate peel enriched bars

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Nutritional Biochemistry
• Functional Foods

Background:

• Pomegranate (Punica granatum) peel is a rich source of bioactive compounds like polyphenols, tannins, and flavonoids.
• Fruit waste valorization offers sustainable routes for developing functional food products.
• Nutritional bars are popular ready-to-eat foods, amenable to fortification with health-promoting ingredients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate nutritional bars fortified with pomegranate peel powder.
• To assess the impact of varying pomegranate peel powder concentrations on nutritional, phytochemical, and mineral content.
• To determine the optimal level of pomegranate peel powder for consumer acceptability.

Main Methods:

• Pomegranate peel powder was prepared and analyzed for proximate composition, minerals, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant potential (DPPH assay).
• Nutritional bars were formulated with five different treatments (T0-T4) containing 0% to 20% pomegranate peel powder.
• The developed bars were analyzed for proximate, mineral, phytochemical, and antioxidant properties, followed by sensory evaluation using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD).

Main Results:

• Pomegranate peel powder significantly increased fiber, ash, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant potential in the bars.
• Mineral content, particularly potassium and magnesium, showed notable increases with higher pomegranate peel powder inclusion.
• Treatment T3 (15% pomegranate peel powder) received the highest scores in sensory evaluation for overall acceptability.

Conclusions:

• Incorporating pomegranate peel powder into nutritional bars is a viable strategy to enhance their nutritional and functional properties.
• The optimal level for fortification, based on this study, is 15% pomegranate peel powder, yielding a highly acceptable product.
• This research supports the utilization of pomegranate peel as a valuable ingredient in functional food development.