Authors : S.A. Oyeyinka, B.I.O. Ade-Omowaye, P.O. Ngoddy and O.R. Karim
Abstract: Osmotic Dehydration (OD) with sugar solutions has been described as a suitable method for preserving fruit quality to a great extent. In this study, pre-frozen whole cashew apples were soaked in varying osmotic solution concentrations (50°, 60° and 70° Brix) at different soaking times (3, 4 and 5 h) before conversion into jam. Jam made with sugar solution of 60° Brix without osmotic treatment served as the control sample. The jam samples were analyzed for pH, total soluble solids (°Brix), Titratable Acidity (TTA), ascorbic acid content and Moisture Content (M.C). Sensory attributes of the samples were also evaluated. It was observed that as soaking time progressed, TTA, M.C and vitamin C decreased gradually while the pH value increased. Increase in osmotic solution concentration resulted in reduced TTA, M.C and vitamin C with corresponding increase in pH and Brix values. Generally, jam made from 50° Brix for 3 and 4 h were most preferred by the panelists. However, the observation of the panelists reveals that soaking in 50° brix for 3 h yielded jam products with better sensory attributes. The result from this study has demonstrated the potential of cashew apple in jam making and has provided useful product development outlets for osmotic solutions which until now have remained grossly underutilized in Nigeria and other countries.
S.A. Oyeyinka, B.I.O. Ade-Omowaye, P.O. Ngoddy and O.R. Karim, 2011. Selected Quality Attributes of Jam Produced from Osmo-Dehydrated Cashew Apple. Journal of Food Technology, 9: 27-31.