Quality Evaluation and Functional Properties of Reduced Sugar Jellies Formulated from Citrus Fruits

Abstract

In Tunisia, despite the large annual production and the numerous citrus varieties under cultivation, citrus processing industries lack product diversity. Products based on dietary properties are a new trend aiming to develop innovative foods and to meet the requirements of the new customer class. In the present study, formulations of reduced sugar jelly products using antioxidant rich-fruit, citrus, were carried out. The effects of citrus juices on the jelly's antioxidant properties, colour, consistency, and sensory evaluation were also investigated. Results showed that all citrus jellies maintain their antioxidant activity, correlated with phenolic content presence. In fact, total phenolic contents ranged between 123.16 and 192.76 mg GAE/100 g, while flavonoid content varied between 1.54 and 9.06 mg QE/100 g for grapefruit jelly and blood orange jelly, respectively. Results illustrated that antioxidant activity varies according to the variety. A sensory evaluation employing hedonic scale technique exhibited satisfactory acceptance of the reduced sugar blood orange and blond maltase jellies. These results highlight and promote the potential use of these citrus varieties in jelly industry as they present a rich source of phenolic compounds and may generate numerous phytochemicals with potential health promoting properties.