STUDIES ON PRESERVATION AND PROCESSING OF CUSTARD APPLE (Annona squamosa L.) PULP

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Date
2004
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ACHARYA N.G. RANGA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY RAJENDRANAGAR, HYDERABAD
Abstract
Custard apple is one of the important fruit crops of Andhra Pradesh, which ripen within four days after harvest. Considering the fast increasing area under custard apple cultivation, methods of its preservation and processing technology needs to be developed to regulate the prices of produce during glut period. Pulp was extracted from custard apples and stored for a period of six months by addition of 1500 ppm of potassium metabisulphite. After six months, various products like squash, nectar, ready-to-serve beverage (RTS) and toffee were prepared. The products were stored at room temperature and cold storage for a period of four months to study the stability and consumer acceptability of the products. The products were analysed every month for physico-chemical and organoleptic qualities. The microbiological safety of these products was also evaluated. The pH, acidity, ascorbic acid and sulphurdioxide were lower in all the products compared to the stored pulp whereas, TSS, reducing and total sugars were high. Microbial count was negligible and E. coli were completely absent on all the products. The products ranked excellent in all organoleptic qualities. All the products stored at cold storage were good physicochemically, microbiologically and organoleptically when compared to the products stored at room temperature. pH and TSS were found to be more in products stored at cold storage compared to room temperature. Acidity of squash and nectar stored at cold storage was more than that at room temperature. Ascorbic acid retention was more in squash and nectar stored at cold storage but a decrease was observed in RTS and toffee. SO2 was more in all the products stored at cold storage. Squash and nectar stored at cold storage were found to have more reducing and total sugars than that stored at room temperature. There was a decrease in reducing and total sugars in RTS and toffee stored at cold storage. The products stored at room temperature were accepted till third month of storage whereas, the products stored at cold storage showed an over all acceptability upto four months of storage. Increase in microbial growth with storage period was observed in all the products but the increase was more in the products stored at room temperature to that at cold storage. The acceptability of the products decreased gradually with increase in storage time. The pH and TSS of all the products decreased upon storage. Acidity of all the products increased with increase in storage period. In squash, nectar and toffee ascorbic acid content increased with the storage period. SO2 and reducing sugars of all the products decreased with the storage period. There was an increase in total sugars in squash and toffee with increase in storage period but total sugars reduced in RTS and nectar upon storage. The results showed that the products can well be stored for at least four months without deterioration preferably at cold storage.
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STUDIES, PRESERVATION, PROCESSING, CUSTARD, APPLE, (Annona squamosa L.), PULP,
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