Determination of the Best Method of Dehydration of Tropical Fruits to be Incorporated in Gelatin-based Dessert with Unaltered Sensory Qualities

Abstract

Background: Jelly based desserts are very popular among millions of people worldwide. The main gel forming ingredient used in these products is 'Gelatin', which is a complex polysaccharide in their chemical structure. This research study focusses on incorporation of fruit pieces in to the dessert jelly in order to give a novel experience to the consumers. Methods: To determine the best way of incorporating fruit pieces in a commercially available jelly mixture (which is made up of fruit flavour, acid, water, sugar and pectin as the jelling agent), fruit pieces were treated in two ways and compared for the best textural and sensory qualities. First sample constituted unblanched, oven dried fruit pieces in a commercially available jelly mixture and its was compared with a jelly sample with blanched (fruit pieces were pretreated to minimize any possible discolorations and textural changes), osmo air dehydrated and oven dried fruit pieces. Sensory qualities such as texture, mouth feel and flavour of two different samples were gauged through a sensory test. Result: From a sensory test carries out by a panel of 09 sensory panelists it was found that the jelly mixture when incorporated with osmo air dehydrate fruit pieces it did not degrade the texture of the final product as opposed to unblanched dried fruit pieces does. The osmo air dehydrated fruit pieces in the prepared jelly has a texture and an acceptable mouth feel which is closer in texturally to the natural mouth feel and the taste, when they are reconstituted inside the jelly mixture by absorbing the water from the mixture.