Sensory and Physicochemical Characteristics of Naturally Flavoured Borassus aethiopum Syrups for Potential Applications in Food Products

The study explored the possibility of using sap from the fruit pulp of Borassus aethiopum in developing a fruit syrup with acceptable sensory, nutritional and physicochemical properties for technological application in food products. B. aethiopum syrup with its original flavour was developed alongside 2 other B. aethiopum syrup products infused with the flavouring agents- ginger and tamarind. Although sensory evaluation of the three syrup products by 98 untrained panelist showed non-significant difference (P>0.05), they were all rated highly. The flavoured products were rated slightly higher than the unflavoured syrup for all sensory attributes. Proximate and physicochemial analysis of the highly rated B. aethiopum syrup product obtained through sensory evaluation indicated that the syrup has a protein content of 1.17, fat content of 4.67, carbohydrate content of 72.93, ash content of 2.19, moisture content of 17.71, pH of 4.56 and titratable acidity of 0.87. This suggests that underutilized tropical fruits from B. aethiopum can be used for the manufacture of syrups to impart desirable natural sweetness, flavours and colours to food products. Keywords: Borassus aethiopum, syrup, sensory, physicochemica

Structure and physicochemical properties of Ghanaian grewia gum

Grewia polysaccharides were isolated using sodium metabisulphite and phosphate buffers and the influence of the different extraction techniques on the chemical composition and structural characteristics of the extracts were determined. Structure and chemical composition of the resulting polysaccharide extracts were determined using FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy, neutral sugar analysis, size exclusion chromatography coupled to multi-angle light scattering (SEC-MALS), dilute solution viscometry and steady shear rheology. Chemical composition was similar irrespectively of the extraction solvent used and ranged between 11.1 and 16.5% for protein, 53.4 and 66.9% for total carbohydrate, 18.5 and 35.1% for total uronic acid and 23.5 and 28.6% for rhamnose. Predominate sugars in the extracts were rhamnose and uronic acids with spectroscopy showing the presence of esterified groups. Intrinsic viscosity varied between 6.5 and 9.1 dL g and related with molar mass (754–2778 × 10 g mol ). Grewia polysaccharide dispersions at 1 g dL exhibited a shear thinning flow behaviour with crude and sodium metabisulphite extracts having higher viscosities. Overall, differences in extraction techniques produced grewia samples with tailored bulk properties for use in the food and pharmaceutical industries