Incorporation of jaggery in beetroot jam enhances its antioxidant properties with acceptable sensory and physicochemical profile

Abstract

With the growing consumer interest in incorporating healthier foods in diet, the market for functional foods is increasing. The present study focused on developing beetroot jam (BJ) using jaggery (non-centrifugal sugar) as a sweetener. Formulation of BJ was carried out by partial replacement of sugar with jaggery and evaluated for sensory attributes (odor, color, spreadability, taste, acid attribute and overall acceptance) using compromised acceptance threshold (CAT) and the hedonic rejection threshold (HRT). The incorporation of jaggery in BJ shifted the acceptances of tatse (CATt = 82.56%), color (CATc = 78.82%), odor (CATo = 73.16%), acid attribute (CATac = 65.01%), overall acceptance (CAToc = 65.61%), and spreadabality (CATs=50.94%). This depreciation, however, did not result in sensory rejection of the jam odor, color, and taste. On the other hand, a sensory rejection started to occur for spreadability, acid attribute, and overall acceptance at jaggery concentrations of 66.92%, 88.1%, and 77.49%, respectively. Physicochemical characterization of BJ for parameters such as color, texture, and rheological properties was carried out. Thermal behaviour of BJ was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), whereas chemical characterization was performed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Assessment of nutraceutical and nutritional properties of BJ revealed that an increase in jaggery proportion resulted in an increase in total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), where BJ100 showed the highest TPC and TFC of 2.58 mg GAE/g and 1.08 mg QE/g, respectively. The increase in the polyphenols in BJ correlated positively with the antioxidant activities evaluated through DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays. Lastly, the proximate analysis of BJ was carried out for protein, fat, carbohydrates, sugar, and fibre content.