Farhan, MuhammadAhmad, ZulfiqarWaseem, MuhammadMehmood, TahirJaved, Muhammad RizwanAli, MurtazaManzoor, Muhammad Faisal2025-03-172025-03-1720242666-1543https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2024.101023https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13099/2069The present study investigated dehydrated beetroot powder's nutritional, antioxidant, and physicochemical potential in developing nutritionally enriched supplemented hard candies. The data on the nutritional composition of beetroot powder (Devadiga & Ahipa) elucidated significantly (Lim) higher magnitudes of proteins (13 %), ash (10 %), dietary fiber (20 %), K (27 mg.100 g(-)(1)) and Na (6.6 mg.100 g(-)(1)). Likewise, the nutritional profile of the supplemented hard candies exhibited significant (p < 0.05) improvement in proteins from 0.3 to 1.3 g/100 g (441 %up arrow), ash 0.3-1.3 g.100 g(-)(1) (357 %up arrow), fiber 0.4-2.1 g.100 g(-)(1) (381 %up arrow), K 0.6-2.8 mg.100 g<^>-1 (405 %up arrow), Na 0.2-0.7 mg.100 g<^>-1 (331 %up arrow), Mg 0.05-0.26 mg.100 g(-)(1) (420 %up arrow) and Ca 0.06-0.24 mg.100 g(-)(1) (300 %up arrow) on increasing the beetroot powder (BRP) supplementation from 2 to 10 %. The physicochemical properties of candies explained appreciable increments in vitamin C and betalain contents from 0.2 to 0.8 and 48-245 mg.100 g(-)(1), respectively. Results for the antioxidant activities exhibited a similar increase in total phenolics (i.e., 10.2-41.3 mg GAE.100 g(-)(1)), total flavonoids (5.7-27.5 mg QE.100 g(-)(1)), 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-Picryl-Hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activities (11.4-28.4 %) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) contents (24.2-127.2 mu mol.100 g(-)(1)). The highest zone of inhibition (ZOI) was shown against E. coli (i.e., 13.4-23 mm), L. monocytogenes (11.03-19.2 mm), and S. aureus (12.1-20.3 mm) at a maximum concentration of BRP extracts, i.e., 10 mg mL(-)(1). The highest sensorial acceptability of the finished product was at a 6 % supplementation level, which could be validated as a viable approach to use BRP as an ingredient of choice in improving the micronutrient inadequacies among the vulnerable population groups and direct intake of dietary fibers and antioxidant-rich BRP supplemented candies are considered to be viable in preventing the associated health challenges like cancer and dysentery.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessBeta vulgarisConfectioneryFibersFortificationBetalainFunctional foodMicronutrientsAntimicrobial potentialArticle10.1016/j.jafr.2024.10102315N/AWOS:0011802893000012-s2.0-85184046845Q1