30B-5 |
Physico-chemical properties and consumer acceptance of Mayhaw (Crataegus opaca) and Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) juice blends |
S. SATHIVEL1, W. Prinyawiwatkul1, A. F. Trappey1, P. W. Wilson2, C. E. Johnson2, K. Nadarajah1, and K. H. McWatters3. (1) Department of Food Science, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4200, (2) Department of Horticulture, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4200, (3) Department of Food Science and Technology, Center for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement, University of Georgia, Griffin, GA 30223-1797 Utilization of mayhaw fruits in the Southeastern U.S. has been limited to small-scale production of jams, jellies, and gourmet syrups. Fruit juice blends have increasingly been popularized because consumers perceive fruit or fruit-based beverages as nutritious foods that benefit health. Some fruits yield more acceptable juice blends than others. Information about juice blends from mayhaw and muscadine fruits is unavailable. This study was conducted to characterize physico-chemical properties and evaluate acceptability of juice blends from mayhaw (MH) and muscadine (MC) fruits. MH:MC juice blends (70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 30:70) were prepared, adjusted to achieve 17% total soluble solid (TSS) using fructose, pasteurized (HTST) using a APV heat exchanger, aseptically filled into 6-oz plastic cups, heat-sealed using aluminum-foil “pull-tab” top, and stored at 2°C for further analyses. CIE-L*a*b* color, pH, TSS, titratable acidity (%TA), and sugar/acid ratio were determined. 75 consumers evaluated acceptability of color, flavor and overall liking of the juice blends using a 9-point hedonic scale. A commercial juice blend (cranberry-apple-grape) was used for comparison. The juice blends had purple-pinkish color as indicated by L* (26.2-29.8), chroma (3.8-6.5) and hue angle (18.3-27.1) values. The MH:MC ratios did not affect juice pH (ca. 3.0). Consumers preferred color of juice blends with more mayhaw juice. However, the flavor was less acceptable especially at 70:30 ratio, due to sour taste (predominantly malic acid) as indicated by lower sugar/acid ratio and higher %TA. The juice blends with 60:40 or 40:60 ratio, having similar sugar/acid ratio, yielded most acceptable flavor and overall liking. This study shows that consumer acceptability of mayhaw-muscadine juice blends was affected by sugar/acid ratio. Acceptable MH:MC juice blends could be formulated with no more than 60% mayhaw juice, having adjusted TSS of 17%. The unique color and flavor characteristics of mayhaw juice may offer new market opportunity for mayhaw growers.
Session 30B, Fruit & Vegetable Products: Sensory, Product Development, Fresh-Cut, and Storage
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