Production of health-friendly, ready-to-serve fruit drinks from under-utilized local fruits from Sri Lanka

K H Sarananda,B Alexander,T U Thillakawardane

doi:10.4038/sljfa.v3i2.50

Abstract

Five under-utilized fruits, namely Mauritius Plum (Flacourtia inermis Roxb.), Ceylon Olive (Elaeocarpus serratus L.), Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.), Woodapple (Limonia acidissima L.) and Soursop (Annona muricata L.) were used to produce Ready-To-Serve Fruit Drinks (RTSFDs) while preserving the physical, nutrient and functional properties of the original fruits. The products were developed without added artificial colour, flavour or preservative, but with required shelf-life suitable for market circulation and to ensure high consumer acceptance as a tasty and healthy natural drink. Successful extraction of natural colour, aroma and flavour of the fruits into water was a success with high consumer acceptance. Safe preparation method, maintenance of high acidity levels and safe packaging helped to achieve a long shelf life of 18 months. The newly developed RTSFDs were cost effective and also received high scores on sensory parameters (taste, odour, colour and overall acceptability). Nutritional parameters of RTSFDs such as carbohydrates, protein, total fat and minerals were in the range of 5.98 – 8.22, 0.01- 0.38, 0-0.18 and 1.00 – 1.86 g/100 ml, respectively. Vitamin C, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of RTSFDs ranged between 0.15 – 0.70 mg/100 ml, 12.53 - 14.57 GAE mg/100 ml and 6.11 – 7.23, respectively. The production cost of RTSFDs of Mauritius Plum, Ceylon Olive, Tamarind and Woodapple ranged between Sri Lanka Rs 40–50 per unit (250 ml in sealed returnable glass bottle) with a profit margin varying from Rs. 31-39 per unit. Product of Soursop had the highest production cost with the lowest profit margin. Hence, the newly developed RTSFDs could be categorized as low-cost, healthy natural beverages.

Highlights

Fruits contain important nutrients and phytochemicals, and are an essential component of balanced and healthy diets
Optimization of fruit extraction method for ReadyTo-Serve Fruit Drink (RTSFD) Ripe fruit samples of Mauritius Plum (Flacourtia inermis Roxb.), Ceylon Olive (Elaeocarpus serratus L), Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.), Woodapple (Limonia acidissima L.) and Soursop (Annona muricata L.) of the correct stage of maturity were collected from backyard gardens in Kandy and Anuradhapura Districts of Sri Lanka and transported to the laboratory of Food Research unit, Department of Agriculture
The RTSFDs were kept in ambient temperature for 18 months period, and microbiological tests and sensory evaluations were conducted after every three months during the storage period

Summary

Introduction

Fruits contain important nutrients and phytochemicals, and are an essential component of balanced and healthy diets. Many authors have reported less popularity of under-utilized fruits among consumers due to some typical characteristics of these fruits such as fibrous flesh, sour taste due to high acidity, astringency, bitterness, and strong smell, and have suggested the preparation of alternative food products from them with necessary nutritional qualities (Wijeratne, 2013; Ikram et al, 2009). Commercial RTS drinks available in the market in Sri Lanka could be categorized as essence-based beverages introduced mainly by multi-national companies, fruit drinks prepared with imported pulps and fruit drinks manufactured from locally available fruit varieties. Most of these fruit drinks are prepared using commonly consumed commercial fruit varieties and usually with chemical colours, flavours and preservatives (Thillakawardane, 2009). The main objectives of the product development were to preserve physical, nutrient and functional properties of the original fruits, to avoid any artificial colour, flavour or preservative and to maintain a long shelf-life

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussion

Conclusion