Abstract:
Lucuma (Pouteria campechiana (Kunth) Baehni) is an underutilized but
economically important fruit tree spices enriched with fiber, minerals, beta carotene and phenolics. The objective of this study was to develop a locally available
lucuma fruit syrup enriched ice cream integrated with better physiochemical
properties and sensory attributes. The standard methodology of ice cream making
was followed and lucuma syrup incorporated at the levels of 5%, 10 % and 15%
(v/v) with ice cream. A sensory evaluation was done based on a 9-point hedonic
scale using 20 untrained panelists. Prepared ice cream was tested for
physiochemical and microbiological properties. According to the sensory
evaluation, the ice cream prepared with 10% of lucuma syrup recorded higher
scores for appearance, aroma, body and texture, creaminess, flavor, iciness, melting,
viscosity, mouthfeel, taste and overall acceptability (p<0.05) except color. Color
intensity increased with the increasing concentration of lucuma syrup. The
proximate composition of different treatment was differ significantly (p<0.05) with
the storage period. The average of protein, fat, ash, fiber, moisture and carbohydrate
content of developed lucuma syrup incorporated ice cream samples were
3.03±0.03- 4.15±0.15%; 6.9±0.2- 8.88±0.12%; 1.4±0.23- 1.8±0.05%; 0.26±0.01-
0.78±0.22%; 49.2±0.1- 52.7±1.65% and 32.81±0.04- 38.31±0.07% respectively.
Total plate count and yeast and mold counts increased during storage period but
within the acceptable levels whereas coliform count was absent in all samples
throughout the three months of storage. In terms of shelf life, these ice cream
samples performed well more than three months under refrigerator condition. In
conclusion, 10% lucuma syrup incorporated ice cream was identified as a superior
formulation for commercialization based on sensory, physicochemical and
microbiological properties.
