Formulation and quality characterization of microgreen kale and honey pineapple based beverages

Abstract Innovation in vegetable and fruit-based beverages is necessary to increase the consumption of vegetables and fruits in Indonesia. One such innovation is creating a beverage based on microgreens kale. Microgreens kale are rich in nutrients and phytochemicals that are beneficial to health. However, microgreens kale has a strong aroma and taste, requiring additional ingredients to mask them. Honey pineapple has a unique and fresh sweetness due to its content of fructose, glucose, sucrose, and aroma components such as terpenes, ketones, aldehydes, and esters. The aim of this research is to study the quality of the best microgreen kale and honey pineapple juice blend. The research employs an experiment with one factor and three replications, consisting of 5 formulation levels of microgreen kale juice to honey pineapple juice: F1 (10:90), F2 (20:80), F3 (30:70), F4 (40:60), F5 (50:50). The quality of juice is evaluated by Total Dissolved Solid (TDS), stability, pH, total acidity, antioxidant activity, and organoleptic tests. Additional test for the best product is vitamin C, microbial contamination (TPC), and lead contamination. Data analysis was conducted using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and if significant differences were found among treatments, a Duncan test (α=0.05) was performed. The results showed that different formulations of kale microgreen and honey pineapple juice had a significant effect (α=0.05) on all parameters test. The best formulation was F1 10:90, with a TDS of 8.730 Brix, stability value of 33.33%, pH of 4.27, total acidity of 13.64%, and an antioxidant activity IC 50 value of 68.26 ppm. The organoleptic test results indicated a light yellow color, strong pineapple aroma, good taste, strong pineapple flavor, no off-flavor, and high panelist preference. Additional test results showed a vitamin C content of 49.50 mg/100g, microbial contamination of 0 CFU/mL, and lead contamination of 0.3 ppm.