Abstract
Iron deficiency anemia remains a nutritional problem among adolescent girls, making the development of acceptable local food products rich in iron important. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Moringa oleifera leaf flour substitution on the organoleptic characteristics, iron content, and proximate composition of dange cake and to determine the best formulation. An experimental study using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was conducted with four formulations: F1 (0 g), F2 (12 g), F3 (25 g), and F4 (37 g) Moringa leaf flour. Organoleptic testing used a 1–5 hedonic scale involving 30 untrained adolescent-girl panelists. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test because the organoleptic data were not normally distributed. The results showed no significant differences in color (p=0.543), aroma (p=0.067), or texture (p=0.085), whereas taste differed significantly (p<0.001). F2 had the highest mean rank for color (67.10), aroma (70.73), taste (82.27), and texture (68.70), and was therefore selected as the best formulation. Laboratory analysis of F2 showed protein 5.16%, fat 4.04%, carbohydrate 63.35%, moisture 23.75%, ash 1.70%, crude fiber 4.65%, and iron 17.10 mg/g as reported in the research results. The findings indicate that dange cake with 12 g Moringa leaf flour substitution has good sensory acceptance and potential to be developed as an iron-rich snack to support anemia prevention among adolescent girls.
