Standardization and characterization of value added watermelon juice (&lt;em&gt;Citrullus lanatus&lt;/em&gt;) ready-to-serve beverage

K Saranyah,T Mahendran

doi:10.4038/sljer.v3i1.84

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to study the feasibility of blending pineapple and watermelon juice in different ratio for preparation of blended RTS beverage. The formulated RTS beverages were evaluated for various chemical, organoleptic and microbial qualities. The titrable acidity, ascorbic acid, total soluble solids (TSS) and total sugars of freshly made RTS beverages increased while pH decreased with the increased concentration of pineapple juice from 10-30%. Tukey’s test results revealed that, the mean scores for all assessed organoleptic characters varying significantly (pH0.05) in the freshly made pineapple blend watermelon RTS beverages. The formulated beverage with 80:20 watermelon and pineapple juice was found to be superior in quality and could be stored at 30±1°C for a minimum period of three months without any significant changes in quality attributes.

Highlights

Fruit and Vegetable sector has much potential to contribute to increase the level of national income, export revenue, generate new employment opportunities, increase farm income and enhance the nutrition and health of the people
Titrable Acidity According to the Sri Lanka Standard Institute Specifications, the limits of acidity for RTS preparation are 0.3-1% as anhydrous citric acid (SLS 729:1985)
The results generally showed that the higher acidity, lower pH of pineapple RTS beverages

Summary

Introduction

Fruit and Vegetable sector has much potential to contribute to increase the level of national income, export revenue, generate new employment opportunities, increase farm income and enhance the nutrition and health of the people. According to the Sri Lanka Standard Institute specifications, RTS fruit beverage should not exceed its total acidity more than 1% (as anhydrous citric acid). Six formulations were prepared by mixing watermelon juice and pineapple juice in different ratios with sugar, acidity as anhydrous citric acid and 70 ppm of potassium metabisulphite (KMS).

Results

Conclusion