ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF HEALTHY APPLE JAM PRODUCTS FORTIFIED WITH NATURAL HERBAL EXTRACTS

Document Type : Researches

Authors

1 Dept. Hort. Crops Res., Food Tech .Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Cent., Giza, Egypt.

2 Dept. Food & Dairy Sci. and Tech., Fac. Environ. Agric. Sci., Arish Univ., Egypt

Abstract

Honey is considered a healthy food with numerous benefits for human health and nutrition. Herbs have long been used as flavoring agents and preservatives due to their antimicrobial activity against certain pathogens and their antioxidant properties. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of incorporating specific herbal extracts, namely sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) and ginger (Zingiber officinale), as well as substituting sugar with honey, on the physicochemical, microbial, and sensory properties of apple jam during a 6-month storage period at room temperature. The findings revealed that apple jam with 1.5% sweet basil aqueous extract and honey showed the highest content of antioxidants, phenols, and flavonoids. Sensory evaluation results indicated that substituting sugar with honey resulted in improved sensory properties compared to the control. Additionally, the incorporation of sweet basil and ginger aqueous extracts, along with the replacement of sugar with honey, had the most significant effect in reducing the total bacterial count of the apple jam samples during the storage period. In conclusion, the use of sweet basil and ginger aqueous extracts, along with the substitution of sugar with honey, not only extended the shelf life of apple jam but also enhanced its nutritional and health-related values.

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Sinai Journal of Applied Sciences
Volume 13, Issue 1
January and February 2024
Pages 57-72

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