Mix Juice Made from Fruits (Watermelon, Coconut) and Vegetable (Carrot) Elicits Alternative Nutrients Intake
Mediterranean Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences MJBAS, Volume 1, Issue 1, December 2017
8 Pages Posted: 22 May 2018
Date Written: May 9, 2018
Abstract
Juice are liquid, non-alcoholic products with certain degree of clarity and viscosity obtained through pressing or breaking up of fruits/vegetables with or without sugar or carbon dioxide addition. This study investigated physicochemical parameters, proximate composition and sensory attributes of blends of juice prepared from different proportions of watermelon, coconut and carrot. Five hundred grams of watermelon, coconut and carrot were introduced separately into sterile juice extractor and the juice extracted. The juice extractor was thoroughly washed with distilled water in between the extractions. The juice was filtered separately using clean muslin cloth into sterile conical flasks. This was mixed in different ratios and labelled as samples X (50% coconut, 25% watermelon, 25% carrot), Y (50% watermelon, 25% carrot, 25% coconut) and Z (50% carrot, 25% watermelon, 25% coconut) respectively. Sodium benzoate (0.01g) was used as preservative to all the sample. Proximate, physicochemical and acceptability evaluations were carried out on the samples according to the standard methods. One-way analysis of variance was used to evaluate the acceptability and the micronutrients content of the different samples. Samples X, Y, and Z were observed to contain % moisture of 81.6, 87.75 and 84.34; % ash: 0.76, 0.52 and 0.96; % protein: 3.50, 2.40 and 3.60; % lipids: 3.54, 1.54 and 1.85; and % carbohydrate: 10.6, 7.69 and 7.66 respectively. Micronutrient content of the three samples was observed to be as follows: vitamin A: 232.05µg, 226.85µg and 250.98µg and vitamin C: 35.2µg, 24.5µg and 30.1µg respectively. Physicochemical analysis revealed pH: 3.25, 4.21 and 3.77 & TSS: 12.0mg, 10.9mg and 11.0mg for samples X, Y and Z respectively. No preference (p > 0.05) in general acceptability and micronutrient content was observed amongst the samples except for vitamin A, C and pH. The results suggest that mix juice produced from blends of C. lanatus, C. nucifera and D. carota contains valuable nutrients. It therefore, may be a good choice for human nutrition.
Keywords: Locally produced mix juice and alternative energy sources
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation