Selection of suitable mango variety for fruit bar preparation

Abstract

Mango fruit is consumed in its many forms as fresh fruits and in preserved forms. Fruit bar is one of the preserved forms of fruits. Experiment was conducted to develop a fruit bar from mango varieties grown in Batticaloa District and to select a suitable mango variety for fruit bar preparation based on their chemical and organoleptic qualities. Mango fruit bars were developed from mango varieties vz: Willard, Karutha Kolumban, Vella Kolumban and Ambalavi. They were packed in polythene bags of 40μ. The fruit bars were stored at room temperature (30±2 °C), and the chemical and organoleptic properties were analyzed. The results of chemical analysis revealed that the titrable acidity of mango fruit bars prepared from different mango varieties ranged between 0.41 - 0.48% citric acid equivalents. The highest total sugar of 18.5% was obtained in fruit bar prepared from Willard variety and the lowest value of 15.4% in fruit bar prepared from Ambalavi variety. Total Soluble Solids Vitamin C, Titrable Acidity and Total Sugar contents of fruit bar prepared from Willard variety were 20%, 45 mg/100g, 0.42% and 18.5% respectively. There was no total plate count observed in the mango fruit bar during the preparation of fruit bars. Result of organoleptic evaluation showed that there were significant differences between fruit bars prepared from different mango varieties with respect of colour, flavour, texture and overall acceptability. Fruit bar developed from variety Willard had the highest mean value for overall acceptability and significantly differed from the fruit bars prepared from other varieties. Based on the quality assessments, fruit bar developed from variety Willard was found to be superior in quality.