MSc

The present study entitled “consumer acceptance and nutritional composition
of laser biospeckle screened mango (Mangifera indica)” was carried out at College of
Agriculture, Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram during the period of 2019-2021. The
objective of the study was assessment of the consumer acceptance and nutritional
composition of laser biospeckle screened mango. Thus two mango varieties were
selected and screened with biospeckle laser for the study.
A pilot survey was conducted on awareness and attitude of consumers
regarding biospeckle laser technology. The survey was conducted on 100 consumers
from Thiruvananthapuram district. A questionnaire of 20 questions was developed to
elicit consumer acceptance. Demographic characteristics of respondents like Gender,
education, occupation, income and residence were collected. Education and income of
the respondents showed their influence on consumer’s response. Among the
respondents 57% strongly agreed that there is a need for development of novel food
technologies in food industry. Sixty per cent of the respondents were unaware of
biospeckle laser technology. Thirty three per cent were sceptic about health effects of
laser screened foods.
Among the respondents 44% opinionated that biospeckle screened foods are
slightly high priced than others in the market and 34% opinionated that they are safe
but showed some concern. Major portion (57%) of the respondents opinionated that
biospeckle laser technology does not effect nutritional quality of foods screened. The
percentage of respondents agreed for commercial practice of biospeckle laser was
37%. Whereas 54% of the respondents preferred to have safety certification marks on
the label of food screened with biospeckle laser and 48% preferred to buy biospeckle
screened foods by the companies they trust.
Two mango varieties namely banganapalli and neelum at mature but not fully
ripened stage (15-16 weeks after fruit set) were selected for the study. The fruits were
divided into control (T1) and experimental (T2) groups. Ten replications were selected
for each group. The experimental group of mangoes were subjected to bio speckle
laser screening using He-Ne laser of 632.8 nm wavelength at photonics laboratory,
CUSAT. Morphological and physical characters of the fruits like Length, weight,
circumference, volume and specific gravity were observed. Analysis of nutritional
composition for both experimental and control groups was carried out. The nutritional
composition comprises moisture content, protein content, carbohydrate content, fibre
content , acidity content, total sugar content, TSS content, Minerals ( Potassium,
magnesium, iron), Vitamin (Vitamin A, Vitamin C), total polyphenols, Total
carotenoids content.
The total moisture content of T1 & T2 of neelum was 71.95% & 72.60%
whereas that of banganapalli was 79.61% & 80.27%. The total moisture content of T1
& T2 of neelum was 71.95% & 72.60% whereas that of banganapalli was 79.61% &
80.27%. The total protein content of T1 & T2 of neelum was 0.69% & 0.59% whereas
that of banganapalli was 0.48% & 0.51%. The total carbohydrate content of T1 & T2
of neelum was 21.12% & 19.66% whereas that of banganapalli was 15.31% &
15.24%. The total fiber content of T1 & T2 of neelum was 0.51% & 0.47% whereas
that of banganapalli was 0.69% & 0.60%. The TSS content of T1 & T2 of neelum was
17.68% & 18.95% whereas that of banganapalli was17.89% & 18.04%. The total
potassium content of T1 & T2 of neelum was 0.22% & 2.09% whereas that of
banganapalli was 0.13% & 0.12%.
The total sugars content of T1 & T2 of neelum was 18.95% & 19.55% whereas
that of banganapalli was 17.69% & 17.84%. The total acidity content of T1 & T2 of
neelum was 0.48% & 0.42% whereas that of banganapalli was 0.13% & 0.12%.The
total iron content of T1 & T2 of neelum was 2.77% & 2.68% whereas that of
banganapalli was 4.78% & 4.79%. The total vitamin C content of T1 & T2 of neelum
was 78.01% & 76.82% whereas that of banganapalli was 61.60% & 60.25%. The
statistical analysis revealed that there was no significant difference between the
nutritional composition between control and experimental groups of banganapalli and
neelum mango varieties.
Organoleptic evaluation of both the mangoes was carried by a sensory panel of
25 members selected from the respondents of consumer acceptance survey. The
organoleptic characters evaluated were Texture, color, aroma, sweetness, bitterrness,
astringency, juiciness, firmness. From the organoleptic evaluation it was found that
there was no difference in organoleptic characters of both experimental and control
group of neelum and banganapalli mango varieties. The acceptance was same for the
experimental and control groups by panel members. This shows that there was no
difference observed in organoleptic characteristics of mangoes screened with
biospeckle laser technology.
This study on consumer acceptance and nutritional composition of laser
biospeckle screened mango concludes that there was no significant difference
observed in nutriotional composition and organoleptic characteristics of bio speckle
screened foods and therefore can be considered safe for consumption and also
provides enough scientific evidence to reduce the scepticism of consumers on
biospeckle screened foods.