Energy bars are delicious, convenient foods that provide quick energy and nutrition. Energy bars are aimed at people who need a quick boost of energy, providing various types of protein, fat and carbohydrates. It does not add artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, and is a good meal replacement food. Using nut energy bars as a meal replacement can not only reduce anxiety, make the mood happier, but also enhance memory. Although living standards are getting higher and higher, dietary structure is gradually unbalanced, physical activity is also decreasing, and nutritional imbalances are becoming more common. Obesity is on the rise in both adults and children. The prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes, fatty liver and coronary heart disease are increasing year by year. With the improvement of people's health awareness, people's demand for energy bars also increases. Based on the bar products on the market, most of them are high-sugar and high-energy products. Nut energy bars are a good nutritional and health food for quick energy. It is rich in dietary fiber, high in protein, added with honey, free of artificial coloring and free of trans fatty acids. It uses prebiotics (isomaltooligosaccharide), dietary fiber (polydextrose), refined vegetable oil, almonds, and cashew nuts. And dried fruit and other raw materials, with good economic and social benefits.

Effect of mass ratio of isomaltooligosaccharide to polydextrose on the quality of nut bars.

Under the conditions that glycerol accounts for 3.6% of syrup, refined vegetable oil accounts for 9% of syrup, sugar content 88%, and syrup content 24.0%, and the mass ratio of Isomaltooligosaccharide to polydextrose is 2:1, the cake structure is the most reasonable. There is little difference in the initial cake cohesion of the samples. The higher the proportion of isomaltooligosaccharide, the softer the cake and the easier it is to deform. The higher the proportion of polydextrose, the harder the cake. After the samples were left for 24 hours, the cakes had different degrees of water absorption deformation, and the higher the proportion of isomaltooligosaccharides, the lower the deformation of the cakes. This is mainly because isomaltooligosaccharide is a starch hydrolyzed sugar, and its overall molecular weight is higher than that of polydextrose. The higher its proportion, the better the cohesiveness of the cake.

Effect of ambient humidity on quality of nut bars.

Under the conditions that mass ratio of isomaltooligosaccharide to polydextrose is 3:1, glycerol accounts for 1.8% of syrup, refined vegetable oil accounts for 7% of syrup, sugar content of 88%, syrup amount of 24.0%, and ambient temperature of 30 ℃, the effect of different ambient humidity (RH 50% and 70%) on the quality of nut bars was investigated.

The water absorption of the mixed berry nut bars under the high humidity condition of 70% was significantly higher than that under the lower humidity condition of 50%. Under the same storage time and high humidity of 70%, the moisture absorption rate was significantly higher than that of the lower humidity of 50%. When stored for 18, 66 and 114 hours, the moisture absorption rate ratios were 1.51, 3.78 and 3.40, respectively. Under the condition of low humidity of 50%, after the sample was stored for 18 hours, the nut bar sample did not appear loose, and the surface of the cake body was slightly sticky. Under the condition of high humidity of 70%, after the sample was stored for 18 hours, the nut bar sample appeared loose moisture absorption phenomenon, and the surface of the cake body was sticky. In summary, the samples are stored under lower humidity conditions, and the state of the rod body is better; it is recommended that the rod body cooling, cutting, and packaging room humidity be kept at a lower humidity of 50% during actual production, and at the same time, it should be noted that the stacking time in the packing workshop should not be too long.

Conclusion.

Through the single factor test and the orthogonal test, the optimal process for the preparation of nut energy bar is the mass ratio of isomaltooligosaccharide and polydextrose 3:1, the proportion of glycerin in syrup is 1.8%, the proportion of refined vegetable oil in syrup is 7%, and the proportion of syrup is 24.0%, syrup sugar content 88%. Under this condition, the structure of the nut stick cake is the best. The water absorption rate of the nut energy bar under the high humidity condition of 70% was significantly higher than that under the lower humidity condition of 50%. To sum up, the samples are stored under lower humidity conditions, and the state of the rod body is better; it is recommended that the humidity of the rod body cooling, cutting, and packaging rooms be kept at a low humidity (≤50%) during actual production, and at the same time, it should be noted that the stacking time in the packing workshop should not be too long, otherwise it will easily affect the taste and shelf life of the product.