Healthy snack production using apricot and apricot kernel

Changing lifestyle and changes in consumption habits have increased the tendency of individuals to consume snack products. Snack; It is defined as miniature foods in solid or liquid form, which do not require preparation, aimed at eliminating the feeling of hunger between meals. In this study, it is aimed to develop a new sweet snack product to increase the use of apricot kernels in food products. Walnut paste from the Burdur region (BCE) was chosen as a model snack product. Prolonging the short shelf life of BCE due to whitening, matting and fast drying, hardening in a short time and bitterness as a result of oxidation of walnut oil, adding semolina for consistency, reducing the amount of sugar and oil or reducing the amount of table sugar source (grape molasses), apricot fruit, natural sweetener stevia) and producing a more nutritious and healthy product are among the other objectives of the study.The product formulation was created by using the raw materials (apricot kernels, apricot kernel oil, dried apricots, grape molasses, semolina, table sugar (sucrose), stevia), in different weights, compositions, amounts, heating and roasting temperatures. 20 product were divided into 4 groups and evaluated sensory using 12 panelists. After the sensory analysis, a most liked product from each group was selected and physicochemical analyzes were performed only on these selected products. In addition, the produced products were stored at 25±5°C for 2 weeks, and the change in the product structure was determined. As a result of the texture analysis, no statistically significant difference was found in the structure of the products in general, but it was observed that 307, which is the closest example to commercial BCE, hardened excessively after storage. Moisture content of the prepared products is 9,42-17.24 g/100 g, the water activity is 0.574-0.825, the total oil content is 12.21-16.87 g/100 g, the total tocopherol amount is 2.93 -3.74 mg/100 g, total phenolic content 11.93-32.84 mg GAE/ 100 g, total sugar content 22.07-51.64 g/100 g, total protein content 8.63-10.40 g/100 g, the amount of crude cellulose varies 1.17-3.18 g/100 g, and finally the total energy value varies between 350.29-451.83 kcal. BCE's moisture content is 10.65 g/100 g, water activity is 0.811, total oil content is 10.16 g/100 g, total tocopherol content is 1.11 mg/100 g, total phenolic content is 20.93 mg GAE /100 g, total sugar amount was 37.60 g/100 g, total protein amount was 6.91 g/100 g, crude fiber amount was 1.14 g/100 g and finally total energy value was 360 kcal. In this study, apricot kernel, it has been shown that it can be used in the production of foods for different purposes by enriching it with alternative sugar sources.