ABSTRACT
Prebiotics are the non-digestible fibers which have the potential to exert a positive effect on human health. They serve as a substrate for microflora in the large intestine and are known to improve overall gut health. Fried foods contribute greatly to the snack foods industries and are specially liked for their crispy texture and unique flavor. Addition of fructooligosaccharides in fried food products has a potential to be developed into a therapeutic food. Hence, the effect of incorporating fructooligosaccharide on sensory qualities of fried products namely vegetable paratha (Shallow fried) and lilva kachori (Deep fried) was investigated. Fructooligosaccharides was added to the one serving of vegetable paratha and lilva kachori’s stuffing at 10 g, 15 g and 5 g, 10 g, and 15 g respectively and were compared with the standard recipes. Three successive trials were conducted for screening the panelist through threshold test. Sensory evaluation was carried out at nine point hedonic scale test for the two products in triplicates. An internal panel of 25 semi trained members evaluated the products for color and appearance, mouthfeel, texture, taste, after taste, and overall acceptability. The results revealed a non-significant reduction in most of the sensory attributes for vegetable paratha, whereas, a significant reduction was observed in texture scores (p<.05). A significant reduction (p<.001) was found in all sensory attribute scores of lilva kachori. Addition upto 5 g fructooligosaccharide did not altered sensory qualities of lilva kachori. The most affected attribute for vegetable parantha was texture (8.6 percent reduction) and for lilva kachori it was color and appearance. Thus it can be concluded that fructooligosaccharides can be incorporated in vegetable paratha upto 15 g and upto 5 g in lilva kachori. An addition of fructooligosaccharide in stuffed fried snacks may serve to fulfill consumer demand for health foods.
ABSTRACT
Fructooligosaccharide (FOS) is a typical prebiotic agent. A randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled study was performed to evaluate the prebiotic effect of daily intake of an isotonic solution containing FOS on body weight gain and the reduction of diarrhea in children in an urban slum in Bangladesh over six consecutive months. We enrolled a total of 150 children, aged 25-59 months. Sixty-four children in the FOS group received 50 mL of isotonic solution with 2 g of FOS added, and 69 children in the placebo group were given an identical solution with 1 g of glucose added, once a day. The measurement of body weight was carried out every other day; height and arm circumference were measured once a month; and the children‘s mothers were interviewed to obtain data about diarrhea, the consistency and constitution of stool, other symptoms, and antibiotic treatment. As a result, the body weight gain during the six-month period was 0.86±0.55 kg in the FOS group and 0.89±0.48 kg in the placebo group, while the increase in height and arm circumference were not significantly different between the two groups. The number of diarrhea episodes during the six-month period was not significantly different. A significant reduction in the duration of diarrhea days and of duration per episode was observed in the FOS group (<i>p</i>=0.039 and <i>p</i>=0.008, respectively). In conclusion, daily intake of FOS was associated neither with the children‘s growth nor with the number of diarrhea episodes, but a significant reduction in the duration of diarrhea days was observed. Further studies are needed to confirm the effects of FOS by changing the doses and eliminating the influence of antibiotics.