RESEARCH ARTICLE OPTIMIZATION OF MIXTURE FLAKES AND NUTS TO FORMULATE READY TO EAT BREAKFAST BAR USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY Nazni, P. and Bhuvaneswari, J. Department of Food Science, Periyar University, Salem-11, TamilNadu, India ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT A breakfast cereal is a food made from more or less processed grains often but not always eaten with the first meal of the day. Cereal flakes are cheapest source of energy and protein in human diet. For the present study the mixture of flakes such as (rice flakes, oats flakes, corn flakes and wheat flakes), groundnut and chocolate chips are selected and used to prepare Ready To Eat (RTE) breakfast bar and analyzed the physiochemical properties and nutritive value of the raw flakes and developed breakfast bar and determining the optimal levels of mixture flakes, groundnuts and chocolate chips using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied for optimization, the multiple regression was used to get optimum levels and it was found that desirable values of weight (25.23g), diameter (4.12cm), width (1.15cm), calorie (423.1kcal), protein (8.65g), fat (14.14g), carbohydrate (51.4g) and over all acceptability (8.31) for a 100g was obtained with the corresponding optimum condition of 24g of mixture flakes, 11g of groundnut, 8g of chocolate chips and 48g of the rest of the breakfast bar ingredients. Hence it is concluded that RSM was used successfully to optimize the level of mixture flakes, groundnut and chocolate chips for the development of Ready to Eat (RTE) breakfast bar. INTRODUCTION Breakfast is often referred to as the most important meal of the day. Evidence suggests that breakfast contributes to well-being in a number of areas. First, it is a central component of nutritional well- being, contributing to total daily energy and nutrient intake. Breakfast consumption is a marker *Corresponding author: naznip@gmail.com for an appropriate dietary pattern in terms of both macro-and micronutrient, particularly if breakfast cereals explain the objectives of the study before starting. All are included in the meal.Today the world demands foods with specific nutrients that can help human beings to stay in good health and enjoy extended life span. A breakfast cereal (or just cereal) is a food made from more or less processed grains often but not always eaten with the first meal of the day. Eating breakfast provides energy ISSN: 0975-833X Available online at http://www.journalcra.com International Journal of Current Research Vol. 3, Issue, 3, pp.029-038, March, 2011 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CURRENT RESEARCH Key words: Physiochemical properties Ready To Eat (RTE) Response Surface Methodology (RSM) Weight Diameter Width Calorie Protein Carbohydrate Fat Mixture flakes Article History: Received 7 th December, 2010 Received in revised form 17 th January, 2011 Accepted 1 st February, 2011 Published online 13 th March, 2011 © Copy Right, IJCR, 2011, Academic Journals. All rights reserved.