Manufacturing and Sensorial Acceptance of Cereal Bars Enriched with Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) Flour

There is increasing demand from consumers for foods with functional properties. These foods, in addition to presenting adequate nutrient levels, provide beneficial health effects thus helping to prevent numerous diseases. Among the functional foods, the flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum), belonging to the family Linaceae, is of great nutritional value. This oleaginous is rich in proteins, lipids, lignans and fibers. Consumers have preference on cereal bars for being practical, healthy and with low calorie density when proper combinations of ingredients are used. This work had as objective the production and sensorial evaluation of cereal bars enriched with flaxseed flour. Two formulations, denominated S.01 and S.02, respectively added with corresponding 5% and 10% flaxseed flour, respectively, were prepared. The physico-chemical analyzes comprised moisture and ash contents. The cereal bars were sensorially evaluated by 50 untrained testers by using the nine-point hedonic scale including attributes of flavor, texture and overall acceptance, besides intention of purchase. The averages from the sensorial evaluation were between 7 and 8, indicating, with purchasing preference of about 90%, which was considered a high acceptance rate.