pH, Total Soluble Solids, and Sensory Acceptance Profiles of Coconut Water, Passion Fruit, Tamarillo Beverages

Coconut-water-based fruit beverages require formulation strategies that balance acidity, soluble solids, and sensory attributes because compositional changes do not necessarily improve liking in the same direction. This study evaluated pH, total soluble solids (TSS), and sensory acceptance of five coconut water-passion fruit-tamarillo beverages and identified a candidate formulation for further development. Five formulations were prepared with a 1,000 mL liquid phase: F1-F5 contained 850-650 mL coconut water, 100-200 mL passion fruit, and 50-150 mL tamarillo, with 20-40 g added sugar. The beverages were pasteurized at approximately 75 °C for 10 min. pH and TSS were measured as three technical readings, while 34 panelists evaluated color, aroma, mouthfeel, taste, and overall acceptance using a 7-point hedonic scale. Sensory data were analyzed using the Friedman test followed by paired Wilcoxon tests with Holm correction. The results showed pH values ​​ranging from 3.46 to 3.56 and TSS from 5.0 to 9.0 °Brix. F4 showed the highest color score (4.76±1.35), F5 the highest aroma score (4.38±1.26), whereas F1 achieved the highest mouthfeel (4.41±1.21), taste (4.44±1.73), and overall acceptance (4.53±1.42). Formulation effects were significant for all sensory attributes (p<0.05), although Kendall's W indicated small effect sizes (0.077-0.197). F1 is the most balanced preliminary candidate based on its sensory profile, but its overall acceptance does not differ significantly from F2, F4, or F5 after multiplicity correction. These findings support multi-attribute optimization and independent batch replication in subsequent work.