DEVELOPMENT, NUTRIENT COMPOSITION AND ACCEPTABILITY OF TAMARILLO HONEY JAM AMONG PRESCHOOLERS AND ADULTS IN LURAMBI SUB-COUNTY, KAKAMEGA.

Abstract

Fighting malnutrition in all its forms among adults and children is still a great challenge in the 21st century. Utilization of fruits in jam production has been on the rise. Exploring the use of honey for food value addition has also gained popularity. Tamarillo fruit has a high antioxidant activity, contents of carotenoids, ascorbic acid, Vitamin B6, minerals and provitamin A. Globally, it is an underutilized, sustainable fruit crop with great potential for value-added products preparations such as salads, sauces, soups, jams, ice creams, juices and liqueurs. In Kenya, tamarillo has gained traction in the recent past due to the increasing awareness of its immense nutritional value and economic potential. The study sought to develop tamarillo honey jam, determine its nutrient composition, safety and acceptability among 103 preschoolers (4-5) years and 48 adults (Parents and teachers) (25-60) years. Fresh and ripe tamarillo fruits were collected with honey from Kitale and Marigat bee farms. The fruits were sorted, washed and the outer cover peeled off. The pulp was then blended to reduce the cooking time of the pulp to preserve the nutrients and separated from the seeds by sieving. The pulp was cooked at 95°C. After 10 minutes pectin and honey were added by constantly stirring using a moderate fire. Potassium sorbet and sodium benzoate were added and stirred to mix uniformly before being left to cool and set. The jam was packaged in sterilized containers and sealed. The proximate, micronutrient composition and safety analysis were done and later the sensory attributes were tested to ascertain its acceptability among preschoolers and adults. The parameters used in sensory evaluation were; smell, appearance/colour, mouth feel, taste, fluidity and general acceptance. The parameters were subjected to a 9-point hedonic scale and the research assistants recorded the feedback of the preschool children without any external influence. For adults, a focus group interview guide was used in discussion groups. The researcher sought responses on; how familiar they were with the jam, what are the things they like and do not like about the jam, what would most likely influence them to buy the jam and their recommendations. Data analysis used NVIVO 20 for qualitative analysis and SPSS version 25 for the descriptive statistics. Developed tamarillo jam consisted of 64.93% of fruit pulp, 32.45% of honey, 2.59% of pectin and 0.03% of the preservatives. Moisture content 21.5%, crude protein 0.1%, Fat content 0.36%, sugar content 30.32%, crude fibre 0.02%, total ash 0.22%, carbohydrates 77.82%, Zinc 0.03mg/100g, Iron 0.08mg/100g, Potassium 0.01mg/100g, Sodium 1.09mg/100g, Magnesium 2.3mg/100g, Vitamin A 0.3 μg/100g, Vitamin E 0.2 μg/Kg, Vitamin B 0.16 μg/Kg and Vitamin C 49.63 μg/Kg. The safety analysis indicated Coliform <10 cfu/g, Escherichia coli undetected, Salmonella spp undetected and Yeasts and Moulds <10 cfu/g. More than 75% of both adults and preschoolers liked the jam with less than 25% having negative taste preferences. The findings revealed that tamarillo jam was acceptable among the adults and preschoolers. Findings indicate that honey can be incorporated in jams for consumption of variety value added nutritious products and help address nutritional concerns alongside diets. Tamarillo honey jam is a rich source of energy from the natural honey incorporated with distribution of other micronutrients and less in fat.