Browsing by Author "Owusu, Akua Amponsaa"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Formulation and Shelf Life Evaluation of Avocado (Persea Americana) Fruit Spread
    (2012-06-11) Owusu, Akua Amponsaa
    ABSTRACT Avocado (Persea americana) fruit deteriorates rapidly after harvest and this necessitated the implementation of this project. The project objective was to carry out product development on the avocado fruit pulp to produce a shelf-stable avocado fruit spread, which retains the nutritional and aesthetic properties of the original fruit. A two level-factorial design with four formulation factors - masses of avocado pulp, sugar, gum and miscellaneous (mostly preservatives and acidulants) - were varied using the Design-Expert’s statistical tool to give a total of eight coded products, which were quantitatively sensory evaluated on five parameters by eight trained panelists. The data obtained were modelled and used to predict the formula of the fruit spread which was used then to prepare a sample spread whose microbial, colour and peroxide shelf lives were studied by Statsgraphics centurion statistical tool. The quantitative sensory result projected a fruit spread formulation which comprised of 50 g of avocado pulp, 5 g of sugar, 9 g miscellaneous and 0.5 g of the xanthan gum based on the sensory scores of colour (0.52), taste (0.64), aroma (0.71), spreadability (0.72) and finger feel (0.80). Proximate analysis of the raw avocado fruit and the fruit spread resulted in values of 72.14 g and 60.82 g for moisture, 15.83 g and 10.08 g for fat, 5.34 g and 20.12 g for carbohydrate, 3.95 g and 6.52 g for fibre, 1.72 g and 1.39 g for protein and 0.97g and 1.87 g for ash, respectively. Energy values were calculated as 170.93 kcal for the raw avocado fruit and 176.76 kcal for the avocado fruit spread. Though the shelf life studies were modelled on three parameters, shelf life was rather concluded on microbial safety consideration as 47.50 days at a refrigeration temperature of 5 oC, since colour and peroxide deterioration could be readily controlled by using additives.