Development and evaluation of Jackfruit-Kokum blended jam for sensory quality and economic viability

Introduction

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.), a member of the Moraceae family, is an important tropical fruit widely grown in the Western Ghats of India. It is valued for its sweet, aromatic pulp, which can be consumed fresh or processed into various value-added products such as chips, papad, pickles, jellies, candies, and beverages. However, due to its bulky nature and high perishability, a significant portion of the produce remains underutilized. Kokum (Garcinia indica Choisy), native to the Western Ghats and commonly found in the Konkan region, is well known for its medicinal and nutritional properties. It contains bioactive compounds such as hydroxy citric acid (HCA), garcinol, and organic acids, contributing to its antioxidant, anti-acidic, and cardioprotective effects. The residue obtained after juice extraction of kokum is often discarded despite its potential nutritional value. In the Konkan region, increased production of jackfruit and kokum necessitates the development of value-added products for better utilization. Jackfruit pulp, being low in acidity and rich in potassium and antioxidants, complements kokum, which is highly acidic and imparts natural colour. Blending these fruits offers a unique combination of sweetness and tanginess with enhanced nutritional and sensory qualities. Development of jackfruit-kokum blended jam can help utilize surplus produce and processing waste, reduce post-harvest losses, and promote sustainable practices. It also supports local farmers and creates opportunities for entrepreneurship and rural development. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to develop and evaluate jackfruit-kokum blended jam.

Fruits

Fruits of jackfruit and kokum were collected from the nursery no.10 and Rukhi block of Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, Dist.-Ratnagiri. Selected fruits were washed with running tap water to remove adhering dirt and then used for making value added products.

Packaging material

Food grade glass bottle of 200 g was used for storage of blended jam of jackfruit pulp -kokum residue. Packaging material used for this experiment was procured from R. K. Enterprise, Borivali, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Studies on preparation of jackfruit-kokum blended jam Experimental details

Preparation of Jackfruit -kokum blended jam

Sensory evaluation

In sensory evaluation colour, flavour and texture of jackfruit products was observed at 0, 2, 4 months of storage after preparation. The sensory qualities were assessed by panel of 10 judges with 9-point hedonic scale score (Amerine et al., 1965) [1] as given below. [9] in pomegranate and sapota juice blended jelly and Kekan et al. (2022) [5] At end of storage, colour score was found to be increased from T 1 to T 3 and then decreased from T 3 to T 5 . Highest colour score recorded in T 3 may be due to better colour combination of jackfruit pulp and kokum residue in 80:20 proportion. Similar results were reported by Garje and Pawar (2024) [2] in Jackfruit kokum blended jelly.

Flavour

The data regarding effect of jackfruit pulp and kokum residue blending on flavour score of blended jam are presented in Table 2.

It could be seen from the pooled data that jackfruit pulp and kokum residue blending significantly affected flavour score of blended jam during entire storage of four months. During storage, score for flavour showed decreasing trend from '0'month (8.31) to 4 months (7.66). Gradual decrease in flavour of jam with increase in storage period may be due to decrease in aromatic compounds in jam during storage. Similar results were reported by Nafri et al. (2021) [7] in ripe and unripe papaya jam during storage at ambient temperature and Rahman et al. (2018) [8] [5] that score for flavour was decreased from T 1 (8.00) to T 3 (7.33) and then increased at T 4 (8.08) and T 5 (8.29) and again decreased till T 7 (7.46) in pineapple-kokum blended jelly.

Texture

The data regarding effect of jackfruit pulp and kokum residue blending on texture score of blended jam are presented in Table 3.

It could be seen from the pooled data that jackfruit pulp and kokum residue blending significantly affected texture score of blended jam during entire storage of four months. During storage, score for texture showed decreasing trend from '0'month (7.75) to 4 months (7.11). Decrease in texture score may be due to increase in moisture during storage. Similar trend was reported by Nafri et al. (2021) [7] in ripe and unripe papaya jam during storage at ambient temperature and Sultana et al. (2021) [10] [6] during storage study of jackfruit jam blended with avocado and kokum.

Overall acceptability

The data regarding effect of jackfruit pulp and kokum residue blending on overall acceptability score of blended jam are presented in Table 4.

It could be seen from the pooled data that jackfruit pulp and kokum residue blending significantly affected overall acceptability of blended jam during entire storage of four months. During storage, score for overall acceptability showed decreasing trend from '0'month (7.85) to 4 months (7.28). The gradual decrease in overall acceptability throughout the storage is due to reduction in colour, flavour and texture score of jackfruit and kokum residue blended jam during storage. Similar results were obtained by Imtiaz and Iftikhar (2010) [3] during comparative study on apricot and apple blended jam. Nafri et al. (2021) [7] reported that score for overall acceptability of ripe and unripe papaya jam decreased during storage when stored at ambient temperature.

With respect to treatment, at '0'month storage highest overall acceptability score i.e. [4] reported similar observation in Bael jam.

Cost of processing of jackfruit kokum blended jam.

The data related to economics of 1 Kg jackfruit kokum blended jam is shown in Table 5.

The total cost of production for the preparation of jackfruit kokum blended jam (200 g) was highest ₹ 28.08 under treatment T 1 (Jackfruit: Kokum residue, 100:00) and lowest ₹ 23.73 in T 5 (Jackfruit: Kokum residue, 60:40).

According to overall acceptability score, selling price of 5 treatments were decided. For overall acceptability score 7.0 to 7.2 sell price of blended jam was taken as ₹180 kg -1 . For overall acceptability score 7.2 -7.4 sell price were taken as ₹ 220 kg -1 and overall acceptability score 7.4 -7.6 sell price were taken as ₹ 260 kg -1 and for overall acceptability score 7.6 -7.8 sell price were taken as ₹ 300 kg -1 As per sensory evaluation is concerned, treatment T 3 (Jackfruit: Kokum residue, 80:20) was best acceptable. Selling price of jam was found to be highest in T 3 (₹ 60/200 g) and its benefit cost ratio was 2.37 which was highest among all treatments under study. Depending on overall acceptability score, minimum selling price (₹36/200 g) was of T 1 (Jackfruit: Kokum residue, 100:00).

Highest benefit cost ratio recorded in treatment T 3 (Jackfruit: Kokum residue, 80:20) might be due to excellent sugar acid blend and also due to highest sensory score than all other treatments which results in fetching the highest price among all the treatments. The similar findings were detected by Kushala et al. (2012) [6] who revealed that benefit cost ratio of jackfruit jam blended with avocado and kokum was 3.53:1.

Conclusion

The study revealed that blending jackfruit pulp with kokum residue significantly influenced the sensory quality and economic viability of the jam. Among the treatments, the 80:20 ratio (T 3 ) of jackfruit to kokum rind residue performed best, recording higher scores for colour, flavour, texture, and overall acceptability throughout the four months of storage. Although sensory scores declined gradually over time, all treatments remained within acceptable limits. The superior performance of T 3 may be due to the optimal balance between the sweetness of jackfruit and the acidity and colour of kokum, resulting in a desirable flavour and consistency. Treatments with higher kokum levels showed comparatively lower acceptability, while 100% jackfruit lacked acidity and colour. Economically, T 3 was most profitable, with the highest selling price (₹60/200 g) and benefit-cost ratio (2.37). Thus, the 80:20 blend is ideal for quality product development and commercial viability.

References

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