TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of foods, and more particularly to a high protein and energy boosting nutrition bar and a method of preparation thereof.

BACKGROUND ART
[0002] In recent years, a significant increase in the consumption of “fast foods” and snacks has been observed as a response to the change in lifestyle of the population. Consumers are looking for easy and fast prepared foods, and ease in the acquisition of pre-prepared, frozen, and ready-to-use products in the market. Among these products, stand out the “snacks”, which are defined as small meals, of light or substantial nutritional value, that can be related to the sensory attributes “healthy” and/or “fun”.
[0003] Nutrition bars have become the food of choice for many people on the run. The bars offer a fast, convenient food source that requires no preparation, a long shelf life and no refrigeration. For this reason, many consumers grab them as quick snacks or meal replacements, assuming they are healthy alternatives to other food choices. The first energy bars commercially released for athletes were Power Bars in 1986. Power Bars sparked a whole slew of different kinds of energy bars. These energy bars were advertised towards athletes as a source of high protein, they could also be used as excellent meal replacements for dieters.
[0004] Cereal nutri bar is a product obtained from the mixture or combination of three or more foods hygienically prepared with specific nutritional values and flavors with a bonding ingredient which confers proper texture. These bars are packaged and sold in individual portions of 25 to 30 grams. The tendency to consume more nutritious foods instead of sweets and candies has led to the emergence of various bar types, including variations like chocolate coating or incorporation of different fruits and nuts.
[0005] Protein bars are a dietary supplement often consumed by athletes and other physically active people to maintain their calorific needs. People concerned in getting healthier foods and keeping the good body fitness have changed their eating habit which has promoted a growth in the cereal bars market of 20% per year.
[0006] Currently, there are more local and foreign products available, and tastes are also more varied. However, the majority of these products solely consider taste and energy added rapidly, putting human health last in the selection of raw materials. In order to ensure that the product's colour, fragrance, and flavour are as desired as well as its safety and the health of the user, it is crucial to choose healthy raw materials.
[0007] In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, there is a need in the art to provide a food snack composition which contains healthy raw materials, is rich in protein and enhances the energy levels of the consumer.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a composition of a nutritional bar and method of preparation thereof.
[0009] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a food snack composition which has high protein content.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a composition boosts the energy of the consumer.
[0011] The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following detailed description of the embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The present invention relates to composition of a protein rich and energy boosting nutrition bar and its method of preparation thereof.
[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the composition comprises of i) base ingredient, ii) protein fortifier, iii) dehusked pumpkin seeds, iv) sugar alternative, v) binding agent, vi) peanuts and vi) rice crispies
[0014] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the method of preparation of said composition comprises the steps of weighing all the ingredients and mixing the dry ingredients, melting the jaggery and dates in mild heat to make a slurry, adding this mixture to the dry ingredients mix and pouring in the moulds to give uniform shape of bars.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] While the present invention is described herein by way of example using embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments of drawing or drawings described and are not intended to represent the scale of the various components. Further, some components that may form a part of the invention may not be illustrated in certain figures, for ease of illustration, and such omissions do not limit the embodiments outlined in any way. It should be understood that the drawings and the detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim.
[0016] As used throughout this description, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e. meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense, (i.e. meaning must). Further, the words "a" or "an" mean "at least one” and the word “plurality” means “one or more” unless otherwise mentioned. Furthermore, the terminology and phraseology used herein are solely used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as limiting in scope. Language such as "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," or "involving," and variations thereof, is intended to be broad and encompass the subject matter listed thereafter, equivalents, and additional subject matter not recited, and is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers, or steps. Likewise, the term "comprising" is considered synonymous with the terms "including" or "containing" for applicable legal purposes. Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles, and the like are included in the specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any or all these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention.
[0017] In this disclosure, whenever a composition or an element or a group of elements is preceded with the transitional phrase “comprising”, it is understood that we also contemplate the same composition, element, or group of elements with transitional phrases “consisting of”, “consisting”, “selected from the group of consisting of, “including”, or “is” preceding the recitation of the composition, element or group of elements and vice versa.
[0018] The present invention is described hereinafter by various embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein reference numerals used in the accompanying drawing correspond to the like elements throughout the description. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather, the embodiment is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the following detailed description, numeric values and ranges are provided for various aspects of the implementations described. These values and ranges are to be treated as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. In addition, several materials are identified as suitable for various facets of the implementations. These materials are to be treated as exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
[0019] The present invention relates to a composition of a protein rich nutrition bar and its method of preparation thereof.
[0020] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the composition comprises of i) base ingredient, ii) protein fortifier, iii) dehusked pumpkin seeds, iv) sugar alternative, v) binding agent, vi) peanuts and vi) rice crispies
[0021] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the base ingredient is oats.
[0022] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the protein fortifier is whey protein concentrate.
[0023] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the sugar alternative is jaggery.
[0024] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the binding agent is dates.
[0025] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method of preparing the said composition comprises the steps of:
a. All the ingredients were weighed and the dried ingredients were mixed and kept aside.
b. The jaggery and dates were melted in mild heat to make a slurry.
c. This mixture was added to the dry ingredients mix and poured in moulds to give uniform shape of bars.
d. Developed bars were packed in butter paper and were stored in refrigerator.
[0026] Nutritionally, combining cereals with other ingredients are valuable to provide a balanced amount of protein especially sulfur-containing amino acids and lysine that are otherwise deficient in most of the cereal grains. This deficiency is fulfilled by adding pumpkin seeds and whey protein in the product. Similarly, to improve the fatty acid composition of the product, peanuts play a vital role to supply essential fatty acids along with the provision of some phytosterols. Presence of these phytosterols along with other bioactive helps in regulating lipoprotein profile by maintaining a balance among total cholesterol, LDL, and HDL. Controlling these parameters helps to lower the risk of various types of diseases. Jaggery and dates is a pure, wholesome, traditional, unrefined, whole sugar made by the concentration of sugarcane juice without the use of any preservatives.
[0027] Oats have a positive effect on the body. They contain a large amount of vitamins A and E, which are natural antioxidants, coarse dietary fiber, which when ingested, bind wastes and toxins and remove them and normalizes the digestive tract.
[0028] Whey Protein Concentrates (WPC) is the cheapest form of whey and has essential branched chain amino acids such as Leucine, Isoleucine, Valine that are influential for athletes. These branched chain amino acids which are metabolized directly into muscle tissue and used during exercise, physical confrontation training and recovery periods. WPC consists of various protein components including glycomacropeptide, a lactalbumin, ß lactalbumin, lactoferrin and immunoglobulin offering a number of health benefits.
[0029] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the organoleptic evaluation was carried out by Discriminative and Communicative (semi trained) panel selected from triangle test. Sensory characteristics of bars were evaluated for different sensory attributes by a group of 30 panelists. Sensory attributes like appearance, taste, odor, texture, crunchiness and overall acceptability were assessed using 5 point composite score and 9 point hedonic scale.
[0030] According to an embodiment of the present invention, Proximate analysis of developed bars were determined by standard methods of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC, 2012). Moisture content was determined using oven dry method. Ash content was determined by dry ashing method. Protein and fat was determined by the micro-Kjeldahl and soxhlet extraction method, fiber by dilute acid and alkali hydrolysis. Carbohydrate was calculated by difference method (100-moisture+ash+fat+fibre+protein content) while Gross-Energy was calculated using Atwater conversion factors.
[0031] According to an embodiment of the present invention, branched chain amino acids in the bar such as Leucine, Valine and Isoleucine were determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography method.
[0032] According to an embodiment of the present invention, analysis of minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium and zinc was done by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrophotometry (ICP-OES) / Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS).
[0033] Various modifications to these embodiments are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description and the accompanying drawings. The principles associated with the various embodiments described herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the description is not intended to be limited to the embodiments but is to be providing the broadest scope consistent with the principles and the novel and inventive features disclosed or suggested herein. Accordingly, the invention is anticipated to hold on to all other such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the present invention and appended claims.

We Claim:

1) A nutritious bar composition comprising of i) base ingredient, ii) protein fortifier, iii) dehusked pumpkin seeds, iv) sugar alternative, v) binding agent, vi) peanuts and vi) rice crispies
2) The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein base ingredient is oats.
3) The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protein fortifier is whey protein concentrate.
4) The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sugar alternative is jaggery.
5) The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the the binding agent is dates.
6) A method of preparing the composition as claimed in claim 1 comprising the steps of:
a) Weighing all the ingredients and mixing the dry ingredients and keeping aside.
b) Melting the jaggery and dates in mild heat to make a slurry.
c) Adding this mixture to the dry ingredients mix and pouring in the moulds to give uniform shape of bars.
d) Packing the developed bars in butter paper and storing in refrigerator.