Development and Characterization of Andean Pseudocereal Bars Enriched with Native Collagen from Pota (<i>Dosidicus gigas</i>) By-Products

In recent years, consumers have been increasingly concerned about their health. Therefore, the snack market is rapidly developing more innovative and functional products such as cereal bars. Quinoa (<i>Chenopodium quinoa</i>) and kiwicha (<i>Amaranthus caudatus</i>) are Andean pseudocereals with protein (10.90–11.35%) content and other functional components that reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and inflammatory illnesses. Peru is the world’s second largest exporter of Pota (<i>Dosidicus gigas</i>), with 476.5 million metric tons in 2023; however, only between 50% and 70% of it has been taken advantage of. Pota by-products such as skins, viscera, and necks have significant protein content (70%) and are discarded. In this investigation, cereal bar formulations with Pota by-products and Andean pseudocereals were optimized and characterized using a five-run simplex centroid mixture design. The effects of two independent variables were examined, namely collagen (2–8%) and binders (22–28%), on the sugar (%), protein (%), and antioxidant (µg Trolox/g dry weight, dw) content as response variables. The optimized cereal bar (M6) showed high protein (21.27 ± 1.51%) content, moisture (10.37 ± 0.04%), ash (2.57 ± 0.03%), fat (15.12 ± 0.15%), carbohydrates (53.67 ± 1.70%), total polyphenol (1570 ± 267 µg Gallic acid equivalent/g dw) content, antioxidant activity (1656 ± 77 µg Trolox/g dw), essential amino acid–leucine (15.65 ± 1.83 mg/g protein) content, and higher in vitro digestibility (78.78 ± 1.40%) than the control sample. The cereal bar had a positive sensory acceptability (88.89%) and complied with Peruvian standards. The functional bar emerges as a nutritious alternative in the food industry and proposes a sustainable solution using Pota by-products, fostering a circular economy.