Effect of Soursop Puree and Gum Arabic on the Sensory Properties of Non-Dairy Coconut Milk-Based Ice Cream

Abstract

Coconut (Cocos nucifera) milk-based ice cream is one of the innovative non-dairy milk products gaining popularity among consumers. The objective was to develop coconut milk-based ice cream incorporated with soursop (Annona muricata) fruit puree and gum Arabic from Acacia senegal var. kerensis, conduct a sensory evaluation using descriptive tests by trained panelists (n = 9) then evaluate for consumer acceptability by semi trained panelists (n = 30). A seven-point hedonic scale for colour, taste, flavour, texture and overall acceptability was used. The data obtained was subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the means were separated to determine their significance differences. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was done for factor reduction to make it easy for the multi-dimensional descriptive data to be interpreted. PCA results indicated that unit increase in soursop and gum Arabic in the ice cream led to 83.1% increase in starchy taste, 78.3% increase in consistency and 73.6% decrease in coconut aroma. For consumer acceptability test, the obtained results showed that, soursop puree addition at successive levels led to a statistically significant effect (p < 0.05) on colour, flavour, texture, taste and overall acceptability while of gum Arabic incorporation was not significant (p > 0.05) for all attributes. The effect due to interaction between gum Arabic and soursop puree at the different levels however was significant for colour, flavour and texture but not significant for taste and overall acceptability. Our results therefore point to a potential application of soursop fruit and gum Arabic as alternative ingredients in the manufacture of a non-dairy ice cream with desirable sensory properties that would expand the variety of options consumers can choose from.