Abstract:
Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) is an abundantly found underutilized fruit tree in the
Dry Zone, Sri Lanka. However, most of the fruits go to waste due to a lack of technologies
for processing and storage. This study was conducted to reduce postharvest losses of
tamarind fruits and production of value-added ready-to-use mix spice cubes for culinary
purposes. Fat, crude fiber, ash and moisture content, pH, total soluble solids (TSS),
colour, and total phenolic content (TPC) were determined. Sensory evaluation was
done using the five-point hedonic scale with tested attributes of appearance, colour,
aroma, texture, taste, mouth feel, dissolvability, spiciness, and overall acceptability.
Three cubes and spice mixture were prepared according to the weight proportions,
namely T1 (tamarind pulp 25: salt 1: spice mixture 2), T2 (tamarind pulp 25: salt 1: spice
mixture 3), and T3 (tamarind pulp 25: salt 1: spice mixture 5). The spice mixture was
prepared by mixing coriander 40: black pepper 10: cumin 10: red chili 6: garlic 3. The
microbiological stability (total plate count) of the final product, which was packed (PP
pouches (55 μg)) and stored under ambient conditions (32 ± 2 oC/ RH 65-75%) was also
determined. The T3 sample cubes had significantly (p<0.05) higher moisture content
(16.11±1.71%), crude fiber (5.65±0.62%), pH (3.12±0.36), fat content (2.65±0.47%) and
colour variation (31.60±0.93). However, ash content (9.82 ± 0.96%) was significantly
(p<0.05) higher in the T1 cubes, whereas TPC (0.39±0.15 mg GAE/g) was higher in the
T2 sample and TSS (3.37±0.21) was lower in T2 sample. According to the results, it
can be concluded that the T3 cubes significantly (p<0.05) differ from the T1 and T2
cubes in terms of moisture content, crude fiber, pH, fat content, colour variation and
sensory attributes. As well, T3 cubes have a greater shelf life for the tested period of
four months than other samples under evaluated conditions. Further studies should be
conducted to determine the texture development of cubes.
