Influence of Microwave Cooking Power and Time on the Quality Attributes, Nutritional Profile and Organoleptic Acceptability of Pineapple Jam

ABSTRACT

The influence of microwave cooking power (550, 675, and 800 W) and cooking time (5, 7.5, and 10 minutes) on the key quality indicators of pineapple jam which include Total soluble solids (TSS), pH, and water activity (aw) was investigated. Proximate, vitamins, mineral compositions, and sensory evaluation were also studied. The impact of the cooking method on the jam consistency was observed based on their viscosities. Total Soluble solid content was observed to be between 65.5 and 68.1 0Brix. The pH values (3.31–3.40) were within the acceptable range for a jam. In the same context, water activity (aw) read between 0.7 and 0.9. Proximate, vitamins, and mineral compositions were within acceptable ranges. Sensory test results revealed that all microwave-cooked samples could compete favorably with traditionally prepared pineapple jam. The results from this study implied that the microwave cooking method is an acceptable alternative to direct heating method.

KEYWORDS:

• Consistency
• fruit processing
• jam
• microwave cooking
• nutritional profile
• sensory property

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), for the use of their laboratory.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).