Microbiological evaluation of watermelon juice treated with serendipity berry (Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii) extract
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Date
2017-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Croatian Journal of Food Science and Technology
Abstract
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) fruit is among numerous fruits that has a high moisture content and is therefore desirable for
human consumption. In order to ensure its availability all through the year, processing into juice and other valuable processes
are being carried out in order to reduce the rate of spoilage and watermelon juice losses. The high moisture content in fruits
makes them highly susceptible to spoilage. Watermelon juice and extract of serendipity berry (Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii)
were blended together in the following ratios: sample A (100 ml+10 ml), sample B (100 ml+20 ml), sample C (100 ml+30 ml),
sample D (100 ml+40 ml), and sample E (100 ml+50 ml) respectively, while pure watermelon juice served as a control
sample. Microbial and sensory analyses of the samples were evaluated over twelve weeks of storage. Over the period of
storage, the results showed that microbial load of the control sample ranged between 1.1x105-9.7.6x107 cfu/ml, while treated
samples ranged between 0.2 x105- 1.4x105 cfu/ml, with some of the treated samples having negligible growth <10 cfu/ml.
Results from the study confirmed that pure watermelon juice was highly susceptible to a microbial attack due to the absence of
a preservative, and large volume of microbial loads was recorded, while the treated samples that included serendipity berry
extract, which functioned both as a sweetener and a preservative, had fewer microbial loads over same period of storage. The
sensory evaluation result showed that sample C (100 ml watermelon juice + 30 ml of serendipity berry extract) was rated the
best in terms of taste, aroma and general acceptability, while sample D (100 ml watermelon juice + 40 ml of serendipity berry
extract) was rated highest for colour.
Description
Utilisation of an underutilised natural sweetener
Keywords
Juice, Serendipity berry, Sweetener, Preservation,, Microbial load