Resumen
An investigation was carried out to extend the shelf life of wood apple beverages by up to 50 days from its natural shelf life of 8?12 h. A wood apple beverage was prepared using freeze-dried wood apple powder. Four samples were developed by pasteurizing the beverage at 85 °C for 10 min and treatment with a combination of 50 ppm and 100 ppm of potassium metabisulphite, citric acid, ascorbic acid, and sodium benzoate. Replications and controls were properly maintained. The total soluble solids (°Brix), pH, titrable acidity, ascorbic acid content, microbial growth and sensory attributes of the prepared juice samples were evaluated at an interval of 10 days over a storage period of 50 days. TSS was found to increase (16.30?18.25°Brix) with storage period, while pH (5.43?4.10), titratable acidity (0.67?0.08%), and ascorbic acid content (4.65?1.01 mg/100 mL) decreased with time. The microbiological analysis showed little or no growth for samples treated with a combination of 50 ppm potassium metabisulphite, citric acid, ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate up to 50 days. Consumer acceptability of the beverage was found to be satisfactory. Thus, shelf life of wood apple beverage was extended to 50 days satisfactorily, ensuring consumption-safe parameters and satisfactory sensory qualities.