Development and Sensorial Acceptability of Sustainable and Nutrient-Dense Date Juice

Abstract

Dates are a rich source of essential nutrients, and transforming them into juice can provide a refreshing and healthy beverage option. This study aims develops a nutrient-dense date juice, optimizing its formulation and processing for sustainability and consumer acceptability. The other objective was to evaluate the sensorial acceptability of sustainable and nutrient-dense date juice. Purposely, dates were soaked overnight, ground, and heated with pectin and sugar addition. The juice was then filtered and evaluated for physicochemical, microbial, and sensory attributes. For research we prepared three different sample with the different date’s category and made three treatment S1, S2, S3. The results showed significant differences (P<0.05) between treatments for most parameters. TSS content ranged from 10.4 to 17.5 °Brix, with a standard deviation of 0.24 to 0.28. Treatment 1 (S2) had higher mean values for TSS (14.300), L (49.70), and sensory attributes like taste and overall acceptability were significant. In this regard, taste (S1: 7.3±1.2, S2: 8.0±0.4, S3: 5.6±0.8), mouthfeel (S1: 7.0±0.4, S2: 8.1±0.5, S3: 6.0±0.4), and overall acceptability (S1: 7.0±0.8, S2: 8.0±0.4, S3: 5.8±0.6) values for different varieties showed significant sensory attributes. Moreover, TSS, acidity, L, a, b, mouthfeel, taste, and overall acceptability showed significant variations among treatments. However, some parameters like TDS, appearance, and aroma showed non-significant differences (P>0.05) between treatments. The study concluded that Treatment 1 (S2) was the most acceptable formulation for date juice, with optimal physicochemical and sensory attributes.