Background: Nutritional deficiencies are common in children with neurological condition and may adversely affect their life quality and developmental trajectory. Herbal-fortified functional foods represent a promising strategy to increase nutritional density in paediatric nutrition; however, their palatability and nutritional adequacy require systematic evaluation prior to any clinical consideration. Objective: This proof-of-concept study aimed to develop cookies fortified with Traditional Chinese Medicine (Polygonatum sibiricum Huang Jing, Cornus officinalis Shan Zhu Yu, Eucommia ulmoides Du Zhong, Gastrodia elata Tian Ma, and Angelica sinensis Dang Gui) and evaluate their initial sensory acceptability, proximate composition, and preliminary visual shelf-life stability. Methods: Three cookie formulations were developed in Trial I using herbal decoction 10 mL per batch. Sensory evaluation was conducted with 40 healthy child participants (aged > 6 years; 22 males, 18 females), using a five-point hedonic scale to assess five attributes: visual appearance (colour), texture softness, texture crumbliness, flavour intensity, and aftertaste quality, as well as overall acceptability. The most acceptable formulation was selected for Trial II and subjected to proximate analysis following AOAC methods to determine moisture, ash, protein, fat, carbohydrate content, and total energy. Results: Among the three formulations, Sample Group 2 demonstrated the highest overall acceptability scores: texture (77.5%), flavor (87.5%) and aftertaste (85%). Proximate analysis of the optimized formulation revealed: moisture 4.04%, ash 1.13%, protein 9.75%, fat 22.05%, carbohydrate 63.03%, and energy content 489.5 kcal/100g. The protein content (9.75%) was higher than that of conventional cookies, and the energy density may support the elevated nutritional requirements of children. Visual shelf-life assessment indicated acceptable appearance and texture over 90 days of room temperature storage. Conclusion: This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the technical feasibility of producing herbal-fortified cookies with acceptable sensory attributes and a favourable proximate composition. These findings provide a preliminary foundation for future research; however, acceptability testing in the target clinical population, comprehensive safety and standardisation assessments, objective microbiological shelf-life studies, and properly designed clinical efficacy trials are required before any clinical application can be considered. Keywords: herbal-fortified cookies, functional food development, sensory evaluation, proximate composition, pediatric nutrition, traditional Chinese medicine herbs
Septriana et al. (Fri,) studied this question.