Compositional protein and lipid quality indices in Salak (Salacca zalacca) snack bars fortified with Moringa oleifera

ITA FATKHUR ROMADHONI (Study Program of Applied Bachelor of Culinary, Universitas Negeri Surabaya. Jl. Ketintang No. 1, Surabaya 60231, East Java, Indonesia)
DWI IRIYANI (Study Program of Bachelor of Biology, Faculty of Sains and Technology, Universitas Terbuka. Jl. Dr. Ir. H. Soekarno No. 567, Surabaya 60293, East Java, Indonesia)
RITA ISMAWATI (Undergraduate of Nutrition, Universitas Negeri Surabaya. Jl. Rektorat Unesa, Surabaya 60213, East Java, Indonesia)
KRISTIAN TRIATMAJA RAHARJA (Bachelor of Applied Health Promotion, Politeknik Negeri Madura. Jl. Raya Camplong Km. 4, Madura 69281, East Java, Indonesia)

Asian Journal of Agriculture
Vol. 10 No. 1 (2026)

Abstract. Romadhoni IF, Iriyani D, Ismawati R, Raharja KT. 2026. Compositional protein and lipid quality indices in Salak (Salacca zalacca) snack bars fortified with Moringa oleifera. Asian J Agric 10 (1): g100165. https://doi.org/10.13057/asianjagric/g100165. This study evaluated whether graded incorporation of Moringa oleifera Leaf Powder (MOLP) induces coordinated remodeling of protein and lipid composition in salak (Salacca zalacca) flour-based snack bars. A completely randomized design was used with five fortification levels (0-8% w/w MOLP substitution in salak flour), each replicated in three independent batches (n = 3). Indispensable amino acid composition of the snack bars was quantified using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) after acid hydrolysis and pre-column derivatization. Amino acid adequacy was evaluated relative to the FAO/WHO/UNU adult reference pattern through Amino Acid Scoring (AAS). Fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID), and lipid distribution was interpreted using composite indices including the Atherogenic Index (AI), Thrombogenic Index (TI), and the n-6/n-3 ratio. MOLP fortification produced a clear dose-dependent increase in the density of indispensable amino acids. Lysine increased from 36.13 to 58.71 mg g⁻¹ protein, correcting the intrinsic lysine limitation of the fruit-derived matrix, whereas sulfur amino acids remained limiting across treatments. Fatty acid redistribution resulted in moderate increases in polyunsaturated fatty acids (up to 36.05% of total fatty acids). Composite lipid indices remained within balanced compositional ranges, with AI decreasing to 0.95, TI reaching 0.62, and the n-6/n-3 ratio maintained at 1.32 despite a constant palm oil source. These findings demonstrate that moderate MOLP inclusion (6-8%) can simultaneously modify indispensable amino acid adequacy and lipid compositional indices in a fruit-based snack matrix. Because digestibility and bioavailability were not assessed, the results represent compositional indicators rather than physiological metrics of protein quality.