Effects of Replacing Pectin with Date Pits Powder in Strawberry Jam Formulation

(Nashi Khalid Alqahtani)

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Abstract

The importance of date (Phoenix dactylifera) pits as an agricultural waste arise from its large dietary fiber contents despite its limited usage in food processing. For this reason, replacing pectin in jam production with date pits powder (DPP) has been considered as a promising research area. This study aimed at evaluating the effects of pectin replacement in a strawberry jam with Khalas palm dates pits powder (DPP) as a novel source of dietary fiber. The examined treatments were replacing 25% of pectin by DPP (0.1%DPP and 0.3% pectin), 50% (0.2%DPP and 0.2% pectin), 75% (0.3 %DPP and 0.1% pectin), and 100% (0.4% %DPP and 0.0% pectin) compared with control treatment at 0.0% DPP and 0.4% pectin. Prepared strawberry jam samples were evaluated monthly for chemical, textural and sensory for six months storage duration. The results indicated that all treatments of pectin replacement have a positive relationship with color parameters. A slight increase in acidity, dry matter contents, Bostwick (consistency indicator) during storage period was also noticed. Replacement treatments at 50% and 75% varied and showed an increase in viscosity, hardness, cohesiveness, and adhesiveness for the strawberry jam samples during the storage period. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in the sensory scores for color, taste, and texture. Overall acceptability increased steadily up to the 6th month of storage. The use of DPP as a novel source of dietary fiber may be an alternative to pectin in jam production. Key Words: Date pits, Dietary fiber, Pectin alternative, Strawberry jam, Textural properties
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