Peer-reviewed article
Analysis of Protein, Flavonoids, and Acceptability of Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Cookies with the Addition of Ferns Flour (Diplazium esculentum)
Fani Lailatul Rochmah, Ninna Rohmawati ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5The study developed catfish cookies with added fern leaf flour as a local snack that could help address stunting through food diversification. Four recipes with 0, 5, 10 and 15 g of fern flour were tested in the laboratory for protein and flavonoid content. Thirty untrained child panelists aged 9–11 years rated the taste, aroma, texture, color and overall acceptability of the cookies. More fern flour raised the measured protein and flavonoids, but too much lowered how much the children liked the cookies. The authors say the product still needs evaluation before it can be recommended as a dietary supplement.
Key points
- Protein content rose from 11.67 to 15.31 g/100 g of cookies as fern flour increased from 0 to 15 g.
- Flavonoid content rose from 1.2 to 52.7 mg/100 g of cookies.
- The formula with 5 g of fern flour (P1) received the highest average ratings for taste, aroma, texture, color and overall acceptability.
- Adding too much fern flour can reduce sensory acceptability.
- Nutritional adequacy, safety, serving size and suitability for the target group still need to be evaluated.
Limitations
This is a laboratory and taste-test study of a food product, so it does not show any effect on children's growth, stunting or health. The sensory panel was small (30 children), and the document does not report nutritional adequacy, safety or serving size.
Abstract
Stunting is a linear growth disorder associated with chronic malnutrition. The development of snacks made from local food ingredients rich in protein and bioactive compounds can support food diversification. This study aims to analyze the protein and flavonoid content, as well as the acceptance level, of catfish (Clarias gariepinus) cakes supplemented with fern leaf flour (Diplazium esculentum). The laboratory phase used a completely randomized design with four formulations. The laboratory phase employed a completely randomized design with four formulations containing 0, 5, 10, and 15 g of fern leaf flour, each with three replicates. Protein content was analyzed using the Kjeldahl method, and flavonoid content was determined using UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Acceptability was assessed using a hedonic test involving 30 untrained child panelists aged 9–11 years. Laboratory data were analyzed according to their distribution; nonparametric comparisons were performed using the Kruskal Wallis test, followed by paired comparisons with multiple comparisons correction if differences were found. Acceptability data were analyzed using the Friedman test, followed by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Protein content increased from 11.67 to 15.31 g/100 g of cookies as the fern leaf flour content increased from 0 to 15 g. Flavonoid content also increased from 1.2 to 52.7 mg/100 g cookies. Formula P1, with the addition of 5 g of fern leaf flour, received the highest average acceptability ratings for taste, aroma, texture, color, and overall acceptability. The results of the study indicate that the addition of fern leaf flour can increase the measured protein and flavonoid content in catfish cookies, whereas adding too much can reduce sensory acceptability. The product still requires evaluation of its nutritional adequacy, safety, serving size, and suitability for the target group before it can be recommended as a dietary supplement.