Physicochemical Properties of Pumpkin Fruit Pulp and Sensory Evaluation of Pumpkin-Pineapple Juice Blends

Abstract

Pumpkin pulp has rich source of vitamins and mineral salts for human consumption. However, there is limited utilization in terms of it commercial acceptability. The aim of this study was to determine some physicochemical properties of pumpkin pulp and the sensory properties of pumpkin-MD2 pineapple juice blends. The pulp of round and cylindrical pumpkin fruits containing white seeds were analyzed for some physicochemical properties such as protein, ash, titratable acidity (TA), pH and minerals (Ca, Na, Zn, K, Mg and Fe). The pulps of the fruit were peeled, cut, grated, fermented and the juices extracted were blended with MD2-pineapple juice in different formulation ratios. Sensory evaluation of the juice blend was carried out using the nine-point hedonic scale. Preference ranking test was also carried out on the formulated juices. The result showed moisture content of (95.03 and 95.66%), ash (0.66 and 0.83%), crude protein (2.58 and 2.42), pH (4.39 and 4.13), titratable acidity (0.38 and 0.34% as citric acid), for round and cylindrical pulp, respectively. Significant differences (p<0.05) existed in TA, ash, pH and moisture contents of the pulps from the round and cylindrical fruits. The predominant minerals in the pulps were potassium and calcium which were 266.30 and 13.18 mg/100g for the round and 363.05 and 9.63mg/ 100g for the cylindrical, respectively. The results showed that the most accepted blend was (55:45) pumpkin (round)-MD2 pineapple juice. In the case of the cylindrical fruit, the 100 % pineapple juice was the most accepted. The 100 % pumpkin juice had the lowest acceptability. Thus, the (55:45) pumpkin-MD2 pineapple juice blend with the pulp from both round and cylindrical fruits has the potential to compete with single strength pineapple juice on the market.