Development and Quality Evaluation of Ready to Serve (RTS) Beverage from Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.)

This study aimed to develop a process for the development of ready to serve (RTS) beverages from enzyme liquefied (pectinase) Cape gooseberry juice with additives and preservatives. Storage stability of the RTS beverage at both refrigerated temperature (LT: 4 ± 1 °C) and room temperature (RT: 27 ± 2 °C) were evaluated for 90 days for microbial, sensorial and physicochemical quality parameters. The stability of RTS beverage stored at LT (4 ± 1 °C) was excellent with a retention of the primary quality attributes ascorbic acid (15.44 mg/100 mL), total phenolic content (15.50 mg GAE/100 mL), total carotene (1.07 mg/100 mL), β-carotene (0.78 mg/100 mL), high viscosity (30.29 cp), and with high sensory scores of the product (8.3) up to 90 days as compared to the overall acceptability (6.5) of RT stored RTS for 60 days. Additionally, both the LT and RT stored RTS beverages had microbial counts within the permissible limits. Therefore, both beverages were safe to consume at the end of storage duration. In conclusion, the RTS beverage developed from Cape gooseberry could be served as functional health drink alternative to synthetic soft drinks due to its unique features (high nutritive values, high organoleptic values and high stability) of the product

Shelf life extension of Saba banana: Effect of preparation, vacuum packaging, and storage temperature

The shelf life of banana is very much dependent on the preparation method, packaging method, and storage temperature. Thus, this work is directed to investigate the effect of banana preparation (peeled and unpeeled), packaging method (vacuum packed and non-vacuum packed), and storage temperature (25 and 9 °C) on extending the shelf life of Saba banana. Peeled and unpeeled; and vacuum packed and non-vacuum packed banana was kept at different storage temperatures for 28 days. The shelf life of banana was investigated in terms of texture, color changes, and moisture content every 7 days. It was found that vacuum packed banana samples kept at 9 °C exhibited non-significant changes in firmness, and minimal changes in moisture content and color compared to non-vacuum packed banana kept at 25 °C, proving that vacuum packaging and low storage temperature are promising to extend the shelf life of banana. The unpeeled banana was also demonstrated to exhibit longer shelf life compared to peeled banana because the skin is able to preserve the moisture content inside the banana and prevent the banana to become dried and spoilt over time