Malunggay-enriched rice crackers: acceptability, shelf life and nutritional quality

Rice cracker is a common snack food in the Philippines and is usually sold in schools. However it is not a significant source of nutrients. Malunggay (Moringa oleifera Lam.) is a locally-available crop with excellent nutritional and health qualities. The addition of this vegetable to rice cracker was evaluated to improve its nutrient profile and also to maximize the utilization of malunggay. Leaves were added in fresh and powdered forms at different levels: 1%, 2% and 5% (wt/wt rice). Laboratory sensory evaluation results showed that all samples had noticeable green color, but their crunchiness was not affected. The sample has a grassy taste but those with up to 2% malunggay were as acceptable as the control. Consumer acceptability by Grade 6 pupils (aged 11-12,n=30) showed 100% acceptability of crackers with up to 2% malunggay powder (MP), while adult consumers (aged 24-25, n=30) found the sample with 1% fresh malunggay (MF) comparable with the control and favored it with the other samples. Microbiological tests of crackers with 1% MF and 2% MP indicated total plate and bacterial counts of times 104 cfu/g, but no yeast and coliform were detected. Nutritional analysis revealed that the fortified samples had lower total fat content, but significantly higher beta-carotene, Vitamin C and calcium levels. The increases correspond to about 2%, 4% and 4% additional contribution to the daily intake of these nutrients, respectively, based on 2000-calorie diet. Storage analysis showed that water quality of fortified crackers remained below 0.400 up to two weeks, while that of the control sample increased starting the first week. Crunchiness, off-taste, and overall acceptability scores were comparable with those of the control even at the end of the three-week long storage test. These results show that nutrient enriched rice crackers with good storage quality and high consumer acceptability can be prepared using malunggay as fortificant.