Harnessing Biodiversity: Fortifying Functional Hard-Boiled Candies with Fruit-Based Nutrients for Safe and Sustainable Confectionery
摘要
With the rise in awareness about healthy and nutritious food products, the food industry is under persistent pressure to cater to such demands and deliver the desired food products to consumers. Confectionery products, such as hard-boiled candies, are products of interest for people of all age groups, ranging from children to adults. Due to the presence of insubstantial calories in these hard-boiled candies, they are constantly being catechized for their nutritional and health benefits. To address this rising demand for such candies, this research work aimed to incorporate micronutrients, namely, vitamin C and iron, into the candy formulations. This was done to address and target common micronutrient deficiencies and to confer a health benefit on the consumers. The aim to develop the products with apt sensory properties that are shelf-stable was achieved using kiwi extract to address vitamin-C deficiency and date extract to address iron deficiency. The hard-boiled candies were formulated using chocolate extract as the flavouring agent with both the respective ingredients to develop two different types of hard-boiled candies.