Development and evaluation of physiochemical properties of acerola jelly

Abstract

Acerola is a rich source of health-promoting compounds such as vitamin C and phenolic compounds. However, this fruit has a short shelf life due to its rapid ripening rate. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop a jelly product from acerola that would extend the shelf life of acerola fruit, as well as create a product that is beneficial for consumers’ health with good organoleptic value. The study evaluated the effects of acerola fruit juice blending ratio, total soluble solid content, total acid content, and stabilising texture agent on the quality of acerola jelly. The research results showed that the processing formula including 20% acerola juice, 1.5% aquagel gum, total soluble solid content of 23%, and total acid content of 0.35%, resulted in a jelly product that had good organoleptic quality with 5.15/7.00 points, total phenolic content and vitamin C content reaching 92.21 mg GAE/100 g DM and 265.96 mg/100 g, with low energy index of 58 Kcal/100 g. The processing of this product demonstrated great potential in commercial applications.