Quality Characteristics of Tahitian Chestnut (Inocarpus fagifer) and Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) Flour Combinations as Ingredients in Snack Bar

Document Type : Short Article- en

Authors

Nur Agustin Mardiana

Nur Aini Mahmudah

Department of Processing of Poultry Product, State Community College of Putra Sang Fajar Blitar, Dr. Sutomo Street No. 29, Blitar, East Java 66133, Indonesia

https://doi.org/10.22067/ifstrj.2026.95576.1477

Abstract

The growing demand for convenient, nutritionally balanced snack products has created opportunities for utilizing underutilized local ingredients in food product development. This study aimed to develop snack bar using Tahitian chestnut (Inocarpus fagifer) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) flours as locally available raw materials and to evaluate their physicochemical, sensory, antioxidant, and microbiological characteristics. Five formulations with varying Tahitian chestnut to cowpea flour ratio [A = 1:1; B = 1:5; C = 2:1; D = 1:2; E = 5:1] were prepared using a completely randomized design. The results showed that the incorporation of Tahitian chestnut and cowpea significantly affected (p < 0.05) several physicochemical parameters, including color, texture, moisture, dietary fiber, macronutrient composition, and antioxidant properties, while ash content was not significantly influenced. Sensory attributes and microbiological quality were not significantly affected, with all formulations meeting acceptable hedonic and safety criteria. Based on the Zeleny multi-criteria decision method, formulation E (Tahitian chestnut:cowpea ratio of 5:1) was identified as the most balanced formulation among those evaluated. These findings demonstrate the potential of Tahitian chestnut and cowpea flours for snack bar development and provide baseline information for further utilization of local ingredients in value-added food products.

Keywords

Cowpea

Quality

Snack Bar

Tahitian Chestnut

Subjects

• Food Chemistry

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Authors retain the copyright. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

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