STUDIES ON OPTIMIZATION OF KOKUM-BASED ANTHOCYANIN INFUSED WHITE FLESH GUAVA READY TO SERVE BEVERAGE

A postharvest study was conducted at College of Horticulture Bagalkot, in order to find out best proportion of guava kokum blends in the form of RTS beverages.The blended ready to serve (RTS) beverages of guava kokum were analysed for physico-chemical composition and sensory quality at monthly interval for four months of storage.The highest scores for all the sensory parameters and chemical characters were obtained by formulation (T 8 ) from 80 per cent guava pulp + 20 per cent kokum extract.In physico-chemical analysis, it was found that variances in the scores of pH, acidity, ascorbic acid content, anthocyanin and the organoleptic scores for taste and overall acceptability were significant (p < 0.05).RTS formulations showed an increasing trend in total soluble solids (TSS: 13.00-13.39Brix), acidity (0.30-0.38 %) and a decreasing trend in pH (4.28-3.86),ascorbic acid content (18.80-17.53mg/100ml), antioxidant (57.78-55.06%) and anthocyanin (6.80-5.92mg/100 ml), viscosity (0.60-0.42 PI) and the organoleptic scores for taste and overall acceptability as a function of storage time.The various physico-chemical and sensory parameters obtained during the course of investigation and the data obtained along with relevant discussion are presented in the full text of this paper.