Sensory Evaluation of Syneresis Reduced Jam and Marmalade Containing Gum Arabic from <i>Acacia senegal</i>var. <i>kerensis</i>

Jams and marmalades are some of the most popular food products because of their low cost, all year long availability and appealing sensory properties. These products are described as gels with pectin as the gelling agent used in its formulation. Gels are a form of matter intermediate between a solid and a liquid. They consist of polymeric molecules cross-linked to form tangles, and interconnected molecular network immersed in a liquid medium. However, the jams and marmalades require stabilization by hydrocolloids. The most common hydrocolloid stabilizer is pectin which is available as a low methoxy pectin or high methoxy pectin. Unfortunately, under mechanical stress, pectin gels may be damaged leading to the release of colloidal water. The release of the colloidal water is termed as syneresis. This problem may be solved by integrating pectin with other stabilizers having thickening properties. Jams were prepared using plums and pineapples while marmalades were prepared from oranges and lemons. Gum Arabic from Acacia senegal var. kerensis was added in the range of 1% - 5% which fell within the additives category. The prepared jams and marmalades underwent sensory evaluation using semi-trained panelists. The prepared jams and marmalades showed no evidence of syneresis. The jams and marmalades were subjected to a sensory panel who scored the different attributes against a 7-point hedonic scale. Gum Arabic at different levels was found to have a significant contribution to the consumer acceptance of the fruit spreads prepared. This is the first time that syneresis reduced jams and marmalades containing gum Arabic from Acacia senegal var. kerensis are being reported. Sensory evaluation was carried out on different fruit spreads used in the study to assess the impact of gum Arabic from Acacia senegal var. Kerensis. The parameters include taste, texture, spreadability, aroma, flavour, colour and general acceptability. Red plum jam and Pineapple jam had its best performance for general acceptability use at 5% level of gum Arabic whereas 4% gum Arabic level performed best for general acceptability for Orange marmalade and 5% level best for Lemon marmalade in terms of general acceptability.

Production of Corn (Zea mays) Starch and Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Starch and Their Application as Yogurt Stabilizer

The present study evaluated the stabilizing effect of starch produced from corns and cassava on the stability of cow milk yogurt. A sample of both corn and cassava starch was selected and used in the yogurt making as stabilizers. The yogurt samples have been analyzed for their WHC, syneresis and protein content. The yogurt with no added starch has found to have very low WHC and high syneresis compared to other samples. The yogurt made with the addition of corn starch as a stabilizer was highly accepted than the yogurt with cassava starch and the yogurt without starch. The findings from this study provide an alternative to add the value of local corns and cassava.

Effect of AMPS(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) content on the properties of polymer gels

The BST oilfield in the northwestern Taklamakan Desert is a fractured carbonate reservoir,but issues of water breakthrough are becoming increasingly severe with the development of water flooding.Unfortunately,the high-temperature and high-salt conditions(130°C,71695 mg/L)of the BST oilfield pose challenges for the development of plugging agents.In this study,the effects of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid(AMPS)content on AM/AMPS copolymers and gels were studied through viscosity measurements,nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR),and cryo-scanning electron microscope(Cryo-SEM).Moreover,the AMPS stabilization mechanism of the polymers and gels was explained.Heatresistant and salt-tolerant gel systems were developed,and their gelation properties,thermal stability,injection capacity,and plugging ability were evaluated.Experimental results showed inconsistencies between the effects of AMPS content on the polymers and gels.For the polymers,the thermal stability increased with increased AMPS content in the polymer.However,excessive AMPS content resulted in poor gelation and low strength.The developed gel systems with S30 polymer(AMPS content is approximately 26%)exhibited excellent thermal stability,controllable gelation time,good injection capacity,and plugging ability.The field application results indicated that most production wells had a positive response,with reduced water-cut and increased daily oil production.

Effect of Okra Pectin on the Sensory, Physicochemical and Microbial Quality of Yoghurt

The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of okra pectin from two genotypes (asha and agbagoma) on the physicochemical, sensory and microbial quality of yoghurt. Okra pectin concentrations (w/w pectin to milk powder ratios) of 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6% were used in the yoghurt preparation and its water holding capacity, titratable acidity and pH were analyzed against a control (0.0% pectin) weekly for a month. Consumer acceptability tests for the yoghurt samples were carried out using 50 untrained panellists on a 7-point hedonic scale. Total aerobic microorganisms present in the most preferred samples were enumerated over a four-week period. Results indicated that samples containing 0.2% asha pectin were most preferred by panelists. Water holding capacity varied significantly with those containing asha pectin higher than agbagoma counterparts and the control. There was a decline in pH with increasing pectin concentration and over the storage period. Samples containing agbagoma pectin had lower pH (3.60 - 4.32) compared to samples containing asha pectin (4.22 - 4.45). Titratable acidity increased during the storage period and with increasing pectin concentration. After four weeks of storage at 4°C sample containing 0.2% agbagoma pectin had the least microbial count (7.6 × 105 ± 4.51 cfu/g), followed by the sample containing 0.2% asha pectin (2.4 × 107 ± 11.14 cfu/g) and the control (8.6 × 107 ± 5.57 cfu/g). The study revealed that addition of okra pectin at 0.2% improved the consumer acceptability of yoghurt and 0.2% agbagoma pectin inhibits the proliferation of aerobic microbes. Addition of okra pectin also improved the water holding capacity and reduced whey exudation.

Effect of Garlic Paste on the Physicochemical Attributes of Cheese

Cheese has recently gained a lot of popularity around the world. This experiment was carried out to make cheese from skim milk with the addition of garlic paste. This study focused on the impact of garlic paste on the physicochemical properties of cheese. Cheese samples S1, S2, S3, and S4 were prepared with 0%, 1%, 3%, and 5% garlic paste, respectively, where S1 was the control sample. Compared to sample S1, the higher proportion of garlic paste incorporation resulted in higher viscosity and water holding capacity;nevertheless, lower values for syneresis were obtained. Although no significant change was observed in the pH values, samples S4 (5% garlic) and S1 (0% garlic) exhibited the highest and lowest pH, respectively. The results in this investigation revealed that garlic inclusion had a substantial impact on the physicochemical parameters of the skim milk cheese.