Evaluación nutricional de mermelada de orito (Musa acuminata aa) con fresa (fragaria sp)

Abstract

Jams enable the preservation of fruits, and due to their bioactive compounds, orito bananas and strawberries are excellent alternatives for functional product development. For this reason, the primary purpose of this research was to evaluate the nutritional parameters of orito (Musa acuminata AA) and strawberry (Fragaria sp.) jam. The methodology included physicochemical, microbiological, organoleptic, and economic tests to determine the optimal level of strawberry inclusion. Sixteen units divided into four treatments with strawberry inclusions of T0 = 0%, T1 = 25%, T2 = 30%, and T3 = 35%, each with four repetitions, were necessary for this process. The orito and strawberry jam was prepared, and its physicochemical, microbiological, sensory, and economic characteristics were evaluated. For the analysis of physicochemical and sensory data, the statistical software "InfoStat" with Tukey's multiple comparison tests (p<0.05) was essential for data analysis. The sensory analysis included the Kruskal-Wallis test for the data collected from a 5-point hedonic scale test involving 60 untrained panellists. The Benefit/Cost indicator was used for the economic analysis. The results showed that the strawberry inclusion significantly influences the physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of the different formulations, showing highly significant differences between treatments. The 30% and 35% inclusion levels were identified as the best treatments in terms of quality, as their results comply with national and international standards. Finally, the treatment with 35% strawberry pulp presented the best physicochemical, microbiological, and organoleptic characteristics, achieving a pH of 3.25, total acidity of 0.74%, soluble solids (°Brix) of 62.21, total solids of 35.76%, density of 1.19 (g/ml), water activity (aw) of 0.77, and a sensory rating of 5 points.