Standardization of recipe and organoleptic evaluation of custard apple nectar fortified with aonla

Introduction

Custard apple (Annona squamosa L.), commonly known as sugar apple or Sitaphal, is an important dryland fruit crop cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions because of its adaptability to arid and semi-arid conditions. It has been recognized as the "New Super Fruit of the 21 st Century" due to its exceptional nutritional and medicinal properties (Gautam et al., 2021). Among the edible species of the genus Annona, custard apple is the most commercially important fruit crop grown in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. In India, it can be seen growing wildly as well as cultivated in tropical and subtropical part of the country (Singh et al., 2013). The fruit is highly valued for its aromatic, creamy-white pulp and is a rich source of vitamins A and C, carbohydrates, minerals and natural sugars making it a nutritious fruit with an energy value of about 105 kcal per 100 g of edible portion (Pilania et al., 2010). Due to its high perishability nature, custard apple is difficult to store and transport, resulting in postharvest losses. Despite its excellent nutritional and therapeutic qualities, there is a need to standardize suitable processing and preservation techniques (Parihar et al., 2019). Processing the fruit into value-added products may reduce losses while offering a nutritious and healthier alternative to artificial beverages (Kumar et al., 2015). Aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.), commonly known as Indian gooseberry, is an important indigenous fruit crop of India belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae (Pathak et al., 2003). It is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C and is also rich in polyphenols, dietary fibre, minerals and iron (Mehta et al., 2002). Owing to its antioxidant, antiscorbutic, antimicrobial and therapeutic properties, aonla occupies an important place in the Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine. However, its sour and astringent taste and seasonal availability limit fresh consumption. Therefore, aonla is extensively processed into value-added products such as juice, nectar, candy, jam, murabba, beverages and chutney, enhancing its utilization and nutritional benefits (Goyal et al., 2008). Fruit beverages are becoming more popular in comparison to synthetic beverages or drinks since they are more nutritious. Nectar can be made by blending two or more fruit juices or pulp in various quantities, according to Attri et al., (1998) and Langthasa (1999). Blending helps to balance the flavour, acidity, astringency, bitterness and enhances the nutritional value (De Carvalho et al., 2007) [4, 16, 12, 9, 6, 10, 8, 5, 2, 7, 3] . Fortification of custard apple nectar with aonla offers a promising approach for developing a nutritionally enriched beverage with improved functional value and consumer acceptability. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to standardize the recipe for fortified custard apple nectar with aonla and to evaluate its organoleptic properties in order to identify the most acceptable formulation for the development of a nutritious and consumer-acceptable beverage.

Methods and Materials

For the preparation of fortified custard apple nectar, uniformly matured, healthy and diseases free Custard apple and Aonla fruits were procured from the local market. The flow chart for the preparation of custard apple nectar fortified with aonla is illustrated in Fig. 1. The fruits were washed thoroughly with water and then were crushed in mixer grinder for the extraction of pulp. After extraction of pulp from the selected fruits, the total soluble solids and acidity present in the fruit pulp were first recorded and then accordingly sugar and citric acid was added to maintain 15% TSS and 0.3% acidity in custard apple based fortified nectar. Further, sugar syrup was prepared and when the sugar completely dissolved in the water, citric acid was added. This sugar syrup was strained using muslin cloth, followed by addition of fruit pulp. This mixture was cooked until it reaches the TSS of 15 °Brix. The processed nectar was filled hot in the sterilized glass bottles leaving head space of 1.5-2 cm. The bottles were then sealed using corking machine and were stored in ambient condition. The resulting custard apple based fortified nectar were tasted by the panel of judges and were evaluated for various sensory parameters i.e. colour / appearance, taste, flavour, aroma & overall acceptability using 9-point Hedonic scale.

Raw Material

Results and Discussion

Sensory evaluation of custard apple nectar fortified with aonla The organoleptic evaluation of custard apple nectar fortified with aonla were recorded for the following variables i.e. colour and appearance, taste, flavour, aroma and overall acceptability, which has been presented in Table 2 and3.

Colour and appearance

The present experiment recorded the maximum mean score (8.20) [4, 14, 17, 1, 4, 14] .

Taste

It is evident from result obtained at the time of preparation under the present trial the maximum value of taste (8.30) was verified under the treatment T₆ [Custard apple pulp: Aonla pulp (88:12)], while the minimum score of taste (6.30) was demonstrated under T0 (100 per cent Custard apple pulp).

Treatment T₆ exhibited the maximum taste acceptability, which may be attributed to the desirable balance between sweetness and acidity achieved through the blending of custard apple and aonla pulp. [4, 14, 17, 1, 4, 14] . [11, 1, 14, 4] .

Flavour

Aroma

It is apparent from the result found under the present experiment that the maximum value of aroma (8.00) was confirmed under the treatment T6 [Custard apple pulp: Aonla pulp (88:12)], while the minimum score of aroma (6.

Overall acceptability

It is obvious from the result gained under the present investigation that the maximum value of overall acceptability (8.17) was recognized under the treatment T₆ [Custard apple pulp: Aonla pulp (88:12)], while the minimum overall acceptability score (6.37) was seen under T0 (100 per cent Custard apple pulp) at 0 day (time of preparation). The superior overall acceptability of T₆ could be attributed to its better balance of colour and appearance, taste, flavour and aroma. The results are in accordance with the findings reported by Gautam et al. (2021) in custard apple based nectar. During the storage period, the maximum score of overall acceptability (8.17) was noted during 0 day of storage (D0), however the minimum score (6.86) was observed during 90 days of storage (D6). The overall acceptability of the fortified nectar gradually declined during the 90-day storage period under ambient conditions. This reduction in sensory quality may be attributed to several extrinsic factors affecting storage stability, with temperature playing a major role. Biochemical changes occurring at higher storage temperatures and pH levels may have promoted the formation of brown pigments and the development of off-flavours. In addition, the loss of volatile aromatic compounds responsible for the characteristic flavour and taste of the nectar likely contributed to the gradual decline in overall acceptability during storage. The present results are parallel with the findings recorded by Thakre and Jain (2013) [17, 4, 14, 1, 13] .

Note:

The superscript letters signifies that the treatment means with similar letters are at par at 5% level significance, while the means with different letters are significantly different at 5% level of significance. These letters have been affixed based on CD-value comparison of treatment means.

Conclusion:

The study revealed that fortification of custard apple nectar with aonla had a significant effect on its sensory quality. Among all the 8 treatments, T₆ [Custard apple pulp: Aonla pulp (88:12)] recorded the maximum scores for colour and appearance, taste, flavour, aroma and overall acceptability, whereas the minimum sensory scores were observed under T₀ (100% custard apple pulp). With the advancement of storage under ambient storage, all sensory attributes gradually declined with the minimum scores observed during 90 days after storage (D₆).

Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement:The authors sincerely gratefully acknowledge the Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (C.G.) for providing the necessary research facilities and support to carry out the present investigation.

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