Physico-Chemical and Sensorial Properties of Ketchup Enriched with Khalas Date Pits Powder

Abstract

The importance of date pits as agricultural waste and rich in dietary fibre, despite their limited application in food processing. On the other hand, the enrichment of ketchup with novel fibre sources is considered a research and development objective. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effects of tomato ketchup enriched with (Khalas) date palm pits (Phoenix dactylifera) powder (DPP) as a source of dietary fibre on the colour, chemical attribute, rheological properties and sensory evaluation of tomato ketchup. Different concentrations of DPP (0.00; 0.25; 0.50; 1.00; and 1.50%) were used. It was observed that the enrichment of ketchup with DPP slightly increases L-value and slightly decreases a/b value. There was no difference in the total soluble solids content (Brix) between ketchup treatments at the storage period (P<0.05), which ranged between 28.14–29.8%. The acidity and pH of DPP treatments showed similarities during the storage period. Tomato—date pits ketchup treatments (0.25% and 1.5%) increased viscosity at the beginning of storage and decreased later during storage. The highest hardness, adhesiveness, and bostwick values were found in 0.5% DPP treatment compared with control during the storage period. The highest sensory evaluation scores were observed in treatments of 0.25% and 0.5%. The obtained results are promising regarding novel fibre sources in the applied processing of tomato ketchup.