Functional and sensory properties of jam with different proportions of pineapple, cucumber, and Jatropha leaf

Abstract

Introduction. Fruits and vegetables are vital for healthy food consumption. Conservation is the only option to prolong their shelf life. Nigeria is currently experiencing an increase in production of fruit jams that incorporate vegetables. Cucumbers, Jatropha tanjorensis L. leaf, and pineapples have a lot of health benefits, which makes them very promising for jam making. The present research featured the effect of cucumber, pineapple, and Jatropha leaf in different proportions on the functional and sensory properties of composite jam. Study objects and methods. The technology of jam making followed standard procedures. Pineapple jam without cucumbers and Jatropha leaf served as control (pineapple:cucumber:Jatropha leaf = 100:0:0). The experimental jam samples had increasing amounts of Jatropha leaf (J), decreasing amounts of pineapple pulps (P), and a constant amount of cucumber (C), i.e. P:C:J = 85:10:5, 80:10:10, 75:10:15, and 70:10:20. The functional analysis involved chemical and proximate aspects, whereas the sensory evaluation involved appearance, aroma, taste, spreadability, and overall liking. Results and discussion. The experimental samples showed a significant difference (P 0.05). Compared to the control sample, the sensory properties of the experimental samples differed significantly (P 0.05) taste and overall liking. Conclusion. The obtained functional and sensory data proved that the new pineapple jam with cucumber and Jatropha leaf is a promising functional product.

Keywords

• composite jam
• fruits
• vegetables
• quality characteristics
• sensory properties
• proximate analysis