Physicochemical characteristics and sensory acceptance of jambolan nectars (Syzygium cumini)

Abstract

The market for ready-to-drink fruit nectars is one of the fastest growing ones, because fruits provide beneficial effects for health maintenance and disease prevention, mainly due to the presence of phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity. Amongst these, jambolan stands out, but is still little explored. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the influence of different proportions of jambolan pulp, sucrose and water on the physicochemical characteristics and sensory acceptance of jambolan nectars, besides determining the content of some bioactive compounds and the antioxidant capacity of the selected nectar, with a view to adding value to the fruit. Six jambolan nectar formulations were established using a Simplex design. The ingredients significantly affected the Chroma (9.33-11.05), Hue angle (359.36-359.48), apparent viscosity (6.9-64.8 cP) and pH (3.84-3.93) of the jambolan nectars. The formulation with 55 g of jambolan pulp, 5 g of sucrose and 40 g of water per 100 g of nectar presented higher levels of anthocyanins when compared to tropical acai juice and camu-camu nectar. It is feasible to produce jambolan nectar with desirable physicochemical and sensory characteristics, rich in bioactive compounds, thus increasing the possibilities of applying this fruit as an ingredient in the food industry.