Caricake: Development of vitamin A-rich cake sandwich using papaya (Carica papaya) leaves

Based on the Estimated Average Requirement, 58% to 81% of vitamin A deficiency is relatively prevalent among Filipino school-aged children. Even though papaya leaves are rich in vitamin A, they are considered agricultural waste in the Philippines. Papaya leaves were used to make a vitamin-A-rich cake sandwich. To test product acceptance, ground papaya leaves were added to the cake sandwich foundation in 5%, 6%, and 7% ratios to flour. Five professional food validators deemed one cake sandwich for a children’s liking. A 5-point hedonic face scale was used to evaluate the cake sandwich by 53 6-9-year-olds. Descriptive statistics followed. Using the 5-point hedonic face scale, 53 Filipino children aged 6 to 9 evaluated CCake2 with an average score of 4.5 (Extremely Like) for its appearance, taste, aroma, texture, and overall acceptability. In HPLC nutrient testing, 35 g of CCake2 has 120 ug of vitamin A. Therefore, CCake2 is the best cake sandwich high in vitamin A for Filipino school-age children.