## 3 Results and Discussions
### Nutritional Properties  
The results of the nutritional analysis for the two bar variants, the control bar and the aronia bar, are presented in the table below. The nutritional values of both bar variants exhibit a similarity, as can be observed in Table 5. This suggests that adding aronia to the bars' composition did not significantly impact their nutritional profile. Firstly, the control and aronia bars have a high dry matter content of 90% and a low water content of 10%, indicating good product stability and extended shelf life. These characteristics are essential for maintaining the quality of the product over the long term. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Peak** & **R\({}_{t}\) (min)** & **Compound** & **Control Bar +** & **Control Bar after** & **Control Bar +** & **Aronia Powder** \\  & & & **Digestion** & **Digestion** & **after Digestion** & **after Digestion** \\ \hline
13 & 21.37 & Quercetin & 32.37 \(\pm\) 0.28 & n.d. & n.d. & 112.54 \(\pm\) 0.09 * \\
14 & 23.27 & Kaempfer & 34.14 \(\pm\) 0.11 & n.d. & n.d. & 102.15 \(\pm\) 0.11 * \\ \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{Total Phenolics} & 1207.22 \(\pm\) 0.56 & 1115.61 \(\pm\) 0.91 & 10,337.12 \(\pm\) 1.49 & 42,240.94 \(\pm\) 4.47 \\ \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{Total Anthocyanins} & n.d. & 384.44 \(\pm\) 0.49 & 146.61 \(\pm\) 0.28 & 8017.80 \(\pm\) 1.91 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* The experiments underwent three replications, and the reported values represent the average and standard deviation (SD) of these replicates. Data normality was evaluated using the Shapiro-Wilk test, where a \(p\)-value greater than 0.05 indicated normally distributed data. The descriptive statistics table presents the mean \(\pm\) SD (\(n=3\)). A two-way ANOVA was performed to examine significant differences among the quantity of phenolic and anthocyanin compounds in aronia by-product bar samples before and after digestion, followed by [PERSON]’s multiple comparisons test. In this analysis, each column was compared to the first column. Significance levels are indicated using the following symbols: *
* for \(p<\) 0.01,
* for \(p<\) 0.05, and \({}^{\mathrm{N.S}}\) (not significant), n.d.—not detected.  
\end{table} 
Table 4: _Cont._Regarding ash content, a minor difference was observed between the two variants, with the aronia bar having a slightly higher value of 0.05%. However, the discrepancy does not significantly influence the product's quality or organoleptic characteristics. The results were consistent with [PERSON] et al. [31], which emphasises that including dried fruit (20%) in bars does not significantly impact nutritional characteristics. Also, [PERSON] et al. [32] found that a cereal bar containing bocaiuva had an ash ratio of 1.29%, indicating that ash concentration may range from 0.3% to 30%, depending on the mineral composition of the cereals. The protein and fat content were very close in both bars, at 12% and 20%, respectively, suggesting that adding aronia had no significant impact on the macronutrient content. The protein level can have a significant impact on the texture, structure, and shelf stability of the finished product [33,34]. For example, a protein content higher than 20% leads to a denser and more substantial texture in the bars, affecting their acceptability by consumers [33]. On the other hand, the high fat content suggests a greater caloric density, providing a more concentrated energy source. This may be attributed to the significant quantity of cashew butter used in the bars. Cashew butter contains predominantly unsaturated fats, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have been reported to have antioxidant properties [35]. These antioxidants help protect the fats in cashew butter from oxidation, thereby minimizing the development of off-flavours and rancidity [34]. Thus, adding cashew butter to the cereal bars improves their taste stability by keeping the flavour fresh and preventing the risk of rancidity and off-flavours.