Jurnal Gizi Prima (Frime Nutrition Journa.
Vol 10.
Edisi 2.
September 2025, pp.
ISSN: 2656 - 2480 (Onlin.
Website: http://jgp.
poltekkes-mataram.
id/index.
php/home ISSN: 2355 - 1364 (Prin.
The Potential of Dietary Fiber and Antioxidants From Muntingia Calabura L.
Fruit Flour in Low-Calorie Biscuits and Their Acceptability for The Prevention of Overweight and Obesity Deya Silviani 1*.
Sri Anna Marliyati2, and Lilik Kustiyah 3 Department of Nutrition.
Faculty of Public Health.
Universitas Sriwijaya Jl.
Jalan Palembang-Prabumulih.
KM 32 Inderalaya.
Kabupaten Ogan Ilir.
Sumatera Selatan 30662.
Indonesia Department of Community Nutrition.
Faculty of Human Ecology.
IPB University Jl.
Raya Dramaga Kampus IPB Dramaga Bogor 16680 West Java.
Indonesia Email : silviani.
deya@gmail.
Article Info
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received May 9th, 2025 Revised July 10th, 2025 Accepte September 26th, 2025 Background: Overweight and obesity are growing global public health concerns, closely linked to oxidative stress and low dietary intake of fiber and antioxidants.
Kersen fruit (Muntingia calabura L.
shows potential as a functional food ingredient due to its high dietary fiber and natural antioxidant content.
This study aimed to evaluate the potential of kersen fruit flour in developing low-calorie biscuits as a preventive strategy against overweight and obesity, and to assess product acceptability.
Keyword:
Antioxidant.
Biscuits.
Dietary Fiber.
Kersen Fruit.
Obesity Research Methods: The study employed an experimental design.
Kersen fruit flour was produced through steam blanching, vacuum drying, and the addition of gum arabic as a drying aid.
In preliminary research, kersen fruit flour was used to formulate biscuits, and the selected product was determined.
Formula A2B2 was chosen, substituting 17% kersen flour and 50% low-calorie sweetener.
preliminary research, kersen fruit flour was used to formulate biscuits, and the selected product was determined.
Formula A2B2 was chosen, substituting 17% kersen flour and 50% low-calorie Dietary fiber content and antioxidant levels were analyzed using puree, flour, and selected biscuits.
A sensory and consumption acceptance test was conducted with 30 overweight and obese adult Research Result: Results showed that kersen flour contained the highest dietary fiber .
82 mg/100 .
, while puree had the highest antioxidant content.
Total phenol, flavonoid, and anthocyanin contents declined during processing but remained substantial in the final product.
The selected biscuit (A2B.
had lower fiber and energy content than comparable commercial products and was well-accepted .
% overall likin.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that kersen fruit flour holds promise as a local functional food ingredient for preventing overweight and obesity.
The incorporation of kersen fruit flour into biscuit products was quite acceptable.
BACKGROUND
The prevalence of overweight and obesity continues to increase globally and has become a significant challenge in public health.
World Health Organization .
data indicate that more than 1.
billion adults are overweight, and over 650 million of them are obese.
In Indonesia, a similar trend is ISSN: 2656 - 2480 (Onlin.
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observed: the prevalence of obesity among adults (>18 year.
rose from 21.
8% in 2018 to 23.
4% in 2023 based on the 2023 Indonesia Health Survey (SKI 2.
Central obesity, characterized by fat accumulation in the abdominal area, reached 36.
8% in the same year.
Overweight and obesity increase the risk of nonAccommunicable diseases (NCD.
such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
Excess adiposity increases oxidative stress and may lead to cellular, tissue, and organ damage, which, if sustained, contributes to NCDs (Savini et al.
, 2.
Risk is higher among people with overweight/obesity.
for instance.
Arora et al.
reported that individuals with overweight/obesity have a 2.
9Acfold higher risk of type 2 diabetes than those with normal weight.
Adenan et al.
found that antioxidant status, a marker of oxidative stress, was lower in women with obesity compared to normalAcweight women and negatively correlated with cardiopulmonary responses, suggesting that antioxidants may influence cardiometabolic risk stemming from oxidative stress.
Consequently, adequate antioxidant intake prevents overweight, obesity, and related NCD risk.
Unhealthy dietsAihigh in calories and low in fiberAialong with sedentary lifestyles, contribute substantially to increasing rates of overweight and obesity.
Dietary fiber plays a key role in weight control via several physiological mechanisms.
HighAcfiber foods require longer chewing and increase saliva Soluble fiber forms a viscous gel in the gastrointestinal tract, slows gastric emptying, and increases satiety, which can reduce overall caloric intake (Astawan & Wresdiyati, 2.
Fiber can reduce energy intake, support weight loss, and prevent weight gain.
HighAcfiber foods also tend to have lower energy Preventive measures in Indonesia include health education, promoting physical activity, and encouraging reduced consumption of highAccalorie foods.
A complementary approach is modifying dietary patterns by developing lowAccalorie foods rich in fiber and bioactive compounds.
FoodAcbased preventive strategies emphasize nutritious products that are culturally acceptable and well-received by consumers.
Kersen (Muntingia calabura L.
) is a tropical fruit with strong potential as a functional food source.
contains bioactive compounds such as flavonoids and phenolics that act as natural antioxidants (Marliyati & Kustiyah, 2.
The fruit is also relatively high in dietary fiber, which can slow glucose absorption, promote satiety, and improve lipid metabolism (Nurdjanah et al.
, 2.
Despite its potential, research on kersen remains limited, and its use in food products is still scarce.
Processing kersen is uncommon.
the fruit is usually eaten fresh, baked into cakes, or made into jam (Mahmood et al.
, 2.
Using kersen fruit flour in biscuits could deliver functional benefits .
ietary fiber and antioxidant.
while, together with other ingredients, supporting the development of lowAccalorie biscuits for preventing overweight and obesity.
This aligns with current food trends emphasizing disease prevention, particularly NCDs.
Developing functional products from potential local ingredients requires preliminary research to define base formulations and to produce intermediate productsAisuch as kersen fruit flour in this studyAi using processing methods that preserve nutrient and bioactive profiles.
Therefore, this study assessed the dietary fiber and antioxidant potential of kersen fruit flour as an additive in lowAccalorie biscuits to support obesity prevention in Indonesia and evaluated the productAos acceptability in adults with overweight and RESEARCH METHODS This research used an experimental design.
The production of kersen fruit flour at PAU SEAFAST (Southeast Asian Food and Agricultural Science and Technolog.
IPB University.
Biscuit production was conducted in the Food Experimentation Laboratory and the Sensory Laboratory.
Department of Community Nutrition.
IPB University.
Analyses of nutrients, dietary fiber, and antioxidant contents of kersen fruit puree, flour, and biscuits were conducted at the Laboratory of Nutrient and Biochemistry Analysis (Department of Community Nutrition.
IPB Universit.
Saraswanti Indo Genetech (SIG), and the Testing Laboratory of the Indonesian Center for Postharvest Research and Development.
This study is part of the primary research entitled "Utilization of Kersen (Muntingia calabura L.
Fruit in Biscuits as a Source of Fiber and Antioxidants.
" The target consumers are overweight and obese Biscuits were formulated with kersen fruit flour and sugar substitution using lowAccalorie sweeteners.
The base formulation references Ajila et al.
with modifications.
detailed formulations are available in Silviani et al.
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Analyses of the puree, flour, and biscuits included dietary fiber and antioxidant contents.
Nutrient analysis of the selected biscuit comprised moisture .
AOAC 2.
, ash .
AOAC
, protein (Kjeldahl.
FOSS Tecator Kjeltec 200.
AOAC 2.
, fat (Soxhlet.
AOAC 2.
, carbohydrate .
y difference.
AOAC 2.
, and dietary fiber .
AOAC Official Methods 991.
43, 985.
Quantitative antioxidant analyses used spectrophotometry for total phenols (FolinAeCiocalte.
, total flavonoids (AlCl3 colorimetr.
, and total anthocyanins .
ranberry anthocyanin quantification per Fuleki & Francis, 1968.
see Lao & Giusti, 2.
Acceptability .
edonic liking of taste, color, aroma, texture, overal.
and consumption tests were conducted in 30 adults .
ale/female, 19Ae39 year.
with BMI Ou 23 kg/m2 (AsiaAcPacific cutAcoffs.
WHO, 2.
Consumption capacity was assessed using the Percentage of leftovers on a modified Comstock scale.
The serving size for the selected biscuit matched comparable commercial Data processing and analysis were performed using Microsoft Excel 2010 and SPSS v16.
Comparisons of dietary fiber and antioxidants across puree, flour, and the selected biscuit used oneAcway ANOVA .
or normally distributed dat.
and MannAeWhitney .
or nonAcnormal dat.
at =0.
05, followed by Duncan's test when appropriate.
Acceptability data were tabulated and described.
biscuit nutrient contributions were analyzed descriptively.
RESULT
Production of Kersen Fruit Flour Kersen fruit contains nutrients, dietary fiber, and antioxidant bioactives and thus has strong potential for product development.
However, its use in food products remains minimal.
Incorporating fruits/vegetables into dry foods .
, biscuit.
typically requires a preliminary step of converting the raw material into a powder to extend shelf life and facilitate distribution, storage, and formulation.
Losses of nutrients and bioactives can be minimized through appropriate drying methods and the use of suitable encapsulants/drying aids (Jiang et al.
, 2.
Figure 1 illustrates the production processAisorting, washing, blanching, comminution, drying, and millingAimodified from Maigoda .
Figure 1 Production process of kersen fruit flour Selection of the Optimized Formula The produced kersen flour was then used in biscuit formulations.
The selection was based on six formulations previously developed and evaluated by hedonic testing (Silviani et al.
, 2.
Kersen flour substitution levels were 11%, 17%, and 22% of total flour.
sweetener levels were 40% and 50% of total palm sugar equivalent.
LowAccalorie sweeteners were a mixture of pure sorbitol and sucralose at a 1:4 ratio, dosed to achieve sucroseAcequivalent sweetness.
The minimal kersen flour level was derived from the estimated minimum fiber contribution per 100 g to allow a Ausource of fiberAy claim per BPOM .
: Ou3 g/100 g .
The optimized formula was identified using the Percentage of AulikedAy responses .
edonic scal.
The Liked Percentage is the total Percentage of panelists who rated on a scale of 5 .
omewhat lik.
to 7 .
ike very muc.
on the hedonic data of the organoleptic test on semi-trained panelists.
This organoleptic test identified across color, taste, aroma, texture, and overall quality of the product.
Results are summarized ISSN: 2656 - 2480 (Onlin.
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Table 1.
Liked the Percentage of each formula
Formula
Parameter Aroma
A1B1
A2B1
A3B1
A1B2
A2B2
A3B2
Formula=(TBK:P).
TBK kersen flour.
P= sweetener.
A1B1= 11% TBK: 40% P.
A2B1= 17% TBK: 40% P,
A3B1 = 22% TBK: 40% P.
A1B2 = 11% TBK: 50% P.
A2B2= 17% TBK: 50% P dan A3B2= 22% TBK:
50% P
Formula A2B2 showed the highest liking for color.
For taste.
A1B1 was highest, followed by A2B2 and A2B1 .
ied for secon.
For overall liking.
A1B2 and A2B2 tied at 76.
Given that taste is a primary determinant of consumer preference and intake (Setyaningsih et al.
, 2.
, taste and overall liking, together with nutrient composition, fiber, and antioxidant activity .
rom prior wor.
, supported the choice of A2B2 .
% kersen flour.
50% sweetene.
as the optimized formula.
Dietary Fiber and Antioxidants in Puree.
Flour, and Biscuits Kersen fruit naturally contains nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants.
Fresh fruit includes 8.
11 g dietary fiber, 2820 mg GAE total phenols, and 1855 mg Q flavonoids per 100 g (Marliyati & Kustiyah, 2.
Table 2.
Dietary Fiber and Antioxidant Contents Parameter Kersen Puree Kersen flour Selected biscuit P-value Dietary fiber .
g/100 7,34 A0,59a 60,82 A 8,25b 11,5a 0,001 Total phenol .
g 399,32 A 10,15a 236,17 A 19,6b 119,52 A 0,72c 0,000 GAE/100 .
Total flavonoids 53,15 A 7,44a 32,61 A 2,74b 19,79 A 1,53c 0,001 .
gQ/100 .
Total anthocyanins 10,02 A 0,21a 12,31 A 1,45a 1,62 A 0,00b 0,002 .
g/100 .
notes: a-b Different superscript letters within a row indicate significant differences by one-way ANOVA .
<0,.
Thermal processing generally reduces antioxidants.
As shown in Table 2, the puree had the highest levels of phenols and flavonoids, followed by the flour and biscuit.
Anthocyanins did not differ significantly between puree and flour, but both were significantly higher than in the biscuit.
Nutrient Composition of the Selected Formula compared to Commercial Products Biscuits are a significant category in the food industry due to their long shelf life, diverse sensory profiles, and broad consumer acceptance (Arepally et al.
, 2.
In the table below, the selected biscuits were compared with commercial biscuits in terms of serving sizes.
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Table 3.
Comparison of Nutrient Content and % Daily Value of the Selected Biscuit vs.
Commercial Products Parameter Nutritional value A2B2 .
,5 K1a .
,5 Total energy .
Energy from fat .
Protein .
Total fat .
Carbohydrates .
Dietary fiber .
Antioxidants notes: * %DV for adults based on 2150 kcal/day Ro*a Sari Gandum.
bW*P Cookies K2b .
Daily Value (% AKG*) F5 .
,5 K1a .
,5 K2b .
The biscuits in this study were specially formulated for adults who are overweight or obese.
The nutritional composition per serving and contribution to daily dietary requirements of the selected biscuit formula (A2B.
were analysed and compared with similar commercial diet biscuits available on the market (K1 and K.
The nutritional composition and contribution of the selected biscuit formula (A2B.
showed relative similarity to the two commercial diet biscuit products (K1 and K.
The total energy content and energy derived from fat in biscuits A2B2 were lower than in the two commercial products, indicating the potential of these biscuits as a low-energy food alternative.
The protein, total fat, and carbohydrate content of biscuit A2B2 is comparable to that of products K1 and K2.
However, the notable advantage of biscuit A2B2 is its higher dietary fibre content compared to product K2.
Acceptability A consumption test of biscuits with the selected formula (A2B.
was conducted on 30 consumer panellists who met the criteria of being overweight and obese, aged between 19 and 39 years.
The testing procedure was conducted door-to-door, visiting each panellist directly at their residences.
The test series included interviews with short questions, hedonic tests, and assessments of product consumption per serving.
The hedonic test covered five sensory attributes: colour, taste, aroma, texture, and overall impression.
Based on the interview results, it was found that 17% of the panelists had never consumed cherries before.
The panelists were asked to rate their liking for kersen biscuits and their ability to consume the product.
Figure 2: Acceptability of Kersen Biscuit Most panellists showed a high level of liking for the colour, taste, and aroma attributes of the selected kersen biscuit formula.
The cumulative Percentage of panellists who gave ratings in the 'like' and 'very like' categories for the colour, taste, and aroma attributes reached 80%, 77% and 87% respectively.
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However, the level of acceptance for the texture attribute was relatively lower, with only 43% of panellists stating that they liked it.
As many as 17% of panellists even disliked the product's texture.
Figure 3: Overall Acceptability of Kersen Biscuit The assessment results of the overall attributes of the selected kersen biscuit formula show that most panellists responded positively to the product, with a total percentage of liking in the 'like' and 'like very much' categories reaching 83%.
Most panellists stated that the biscuits tasted good, although many reported a slightly bitter aftertaste and a hint of sourness.
The biscuit's consumption power was evaluated by presenting the product in serving sizes adjusted to the standards of similar commercial products.
The serving size of the selected kersen biscuits was determined based on the serving size of similar commercial products commonly consumed by the public.
The commercial biscuit serving size referred to was 19.
5 g.
Panelists were given three biscuits, each weighing approximately A6 grams.
Using a modified Comstock scale, consumption levels were measured based on the Percentage of biscuits not consumed.
notes: 0%= no leftovers, 25%= 1/4 leftover, 50%= 1/2 leftover, 75%= 3/4 leftover, 95%= almost whole, 100%= not consumed Figure 4: Leftover consumption levels The graph above shows that 67% of panellists consumed all of the Kersen biscuits without leaving any leftovers.
Meanwhile, 20% of panellists consumed three-quarters of the biscuits, meaning 87% could drink at least three-quarters of the serving size.
DISCUSSION
Each stage of kersen flour production was designed with reference to prior research to minimize nutrient loss and preserve bioactive compounds.
Ripe fruits were sorted, washed, frozen at Oe20AC, thawed, steamAcblanched at 100AC for 3 minutes, then rapidly cooled with running water to stop heating.
Steam blanching was chosen to protect antioxidants.
Rossi et al.
found that 3Acminute steam blanching better preserved phenolics and DPPH antioxidant activity in blueberry juice than no blanching, and Brambilla et al.
reported only a 17.
6% loss in monomeric anthocyanins in blanched blueberry puree, versus much larger losses without blanching.
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Puree was prepared by blending .
edium speed, 2 minute.
to homogeneity, followed by the addition of gum acacia .
um arabi.
at 15% .
and water at 50% of the fresh fruit weight.
FruitAcbased powders differ from starchAcbased flours due to high levels of lowAcmolecularAcweight sugars .
ucrose, fructose, glucos.
with low glass transition temperatures, which cause stickiness during drying.
Therefore, highAcmolecularAcweight carriers .
altodextrin, gum arabic/acacia, protein isolate.
are often used as drying aids to reduce stickiness and improve drying efficiency and product quality (Comunian et al.
, 2.
Gum acacia was chosen for its low energy value compared with starchAc or proteinAcbased carriers.
Drying was performed using a vacuum evaporator at 50AC under vacuum (OO - Oe74 mmH.
, modified from umiN et al.
, who reported optimal vacuumAcoven drying of blueberries at 60AC and 100 LowActemperature, vacuum conditions were selected to reduce thermal/oxidative degradation of antioxidants (Estiasih & Ahmadi, 2.
The dried product was milled and sieved .
Acmes.
Figure 5: Vacuum Evaporator The flourAcmaking process preserved a meaningful portion of antioxidant bioactives through the final biscuit product, despite the long thermal processing .
rying bakin.
that typically degrades antioxidants.
the same time, fiber remains relatively stable (Karam et al.
, 2.
Dietary fiber in the flour was partly attributable to gum acaciaAia mixture of polysaccharides and glycoproteins from Acacia senegal/seyal that contains 80% dietary fiber (Mariod, 2.
Thus, fiber in the final biscuit reflects kersen and gum acacia Gum arabic has been associated with antiAcobesity effects (Ushida et al.
, 2.
Antioxidant contents .
nthocyanins and activit.
in fruit powders prepared with gum arabic were comparable to those with maltodextrin (Tonon et al.
, 2.
Prior work showed that glutenAcfree cookies with 5% gum arabic had favorable antioxidant levels and were acceptable to consumers (Shahzad et al.
, 2.
In this study, some texture shortcomings lower hardness/crispness (Silviani et al.
, 2.
may relate to the relatively high level of kersen flour .
ontaining gum acaci.
Across product forms, total phenols and flavonoids were highest in puree, flour, and biscuits.
At the same time, anthocyanins did not differ between puree and flour but were lower in biscuitsAiconsistent with heat/oxygenAcsensitive phenolics (Mullen et al.
, 2.
Kersen flour .
17 mg GAE/100 .
had higher total phenols than red dragon fruit flour .
34 mg/100 g.
Maigoda, 2.
under similar drying conditions.
Combining steam blanching with vacuum drying and gum acacia likely helped reduce antioxidant loss by limiting exposure to oxygen and high temperatures.
Although statistical tests showed significant differences, the overall trend suggested that declines in phenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins were not drastic across the three product forms, supporting the processing choices used here.
The optimized A2B2 formula fulfilled sensory preferences and offered favorable functional attributes relative to other formulations.
The A2B2 biscuit compared well with commercial products and, nutritionally, provided energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fiber, alongside natural antioxidants from Future work should target texture and aftertaste .
ome panelists reported that it is somewhat firm/less crisp, slightly bitter, and mildly sou.
Reformulation may improve sensory quality while maintaining nutritional and functional benefits.
This work also highlights concerns with typical commercial biscuits, often high in fat and sugar but low in fiber and antioxidants.
In Indonesia, consistently high energy/fat intakes are significantly associated with overweight/obesity among adults (Khusun et al.
, 2.
Overconsumption of such foods can increase ISSN: 2656 - 2480 (Onlin.
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weight gain and longActerm NCD risk.
The present study contributes to preventive strategies by documenting the potential of kersen fruit flour, the processing approach, and its application in a functional food product, thereby expanding healthier snack options.
CONCLUSIONS
Kersen fruit flour (Muntingia calabura L.
) has potential as a functional food ingredient rich in fibre and antioxidants, and it can be used to develop low-calorie biscuits to prevent overweight and obesity.
The kersen fruit flour production process can retain most bioactive compounds, despite some loss during The selected biscuit formula (A2B.
has lower energy content than similar commercial products, but has higher dietary fibre content and is enriched with antioxidants.
Overall, the selected biscuits are well accepted by the target group of overweight and obese individuals.
RECOMMENDATION
Further studies should optimize the biscuit's texture and crispness, address aftertaste, explore alternative drying aids, and evaluate longerActerm metabolic effects in adults with overweight or obesity.
REFERENCES