Abstract

Purpose/Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the nutritive value of Libyan airline breakfast in comparison with the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and to conduct sensory evaluation of selected items on board the flights.

Design/Methodology: Food samples were collected from the catering department of Benina International airport, Benghazi, Libya for a period of two months and nutritive value was calculated. A self administered questionnaire prepared on the basis of the Hedonic scale was used for inflight sensory evaluation of selected snacks.

Findings: The results on nutritive value of snacks revealed higher amounts of energy, carbohydrates, saturated fat and sodium in comparison to the RDA when the full day’s meal was considered. Micronutrients such as vitamins A, E, C and folic acid fell short of RDA. Sensory evaluation revealed that a majority of the travelers disliked most of the breakfast items except juice.

Practical implications: The airline needs to improve the micronutrient content of snacks, simultaneously reducing the total energy and sodium content and replacing saturated fat to prevent health risks to regular airline passengers. Also palatability need not be compromised in light of safety of food items served.

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