Developing blended preserved products based on sweet potato

Abstract

A study on 'Developing blended preserved products based on sweet potato' was conducted with the major objective to develop value added preserved products based on sweet potato and to transfer the technology to self help groups. The study comprised of selection of tubers, selection of products, selection of blends, standardization of blended and plain sweet potato products, formulation of recipes for the products, assessing chemical, organoleptic and shelf life qualities of the products and finally transferring the developed technology to self help groups. Three preserved products, viz., leather, jam and wine were prepared using two varieties of sweet potato, viz., Kanjanghad and Sri Bhadra in plain forms and also in combination with mango and pineapple in three different proportions. The chemical composition of developed products with reference to pH, acidity, TSS, reducing sugar and total sugar were determined through suitable laboratory techniques. An' acceptable balancing of the various chemical constituents were seen in the products. The developed products, when studied for FPO requirements were found to satisfy the quality standards. Cost benefit analysis of the products was also favourable with low production expense and so low cost of the product. Organoleptic qualities of the developed preserved products were assessed by a judging panel. The parameters tested were appearance, colour, flavour,

2 taste, texture, consistency and clarity. The analysis revealed that both the plain and blended products got acceptable scores. The results of consumer acceptability was also satisfactory as it indicates that the sweet potato mango blends were more acceptable for leather while for - jam and leather, combination of sweet potato with pineapple was more accepted. A preference test of the developed products was conducted among members of self-help groups where the rating was high for jam and leather and wine was less preferred. The shelf life assessment of the developed products showed satisfactory results. The evaluation of chemical parameters showed only small variation in most of the chemical constituents was there for leather and jam. While for wine, an enhancement in chemical balance was observed as the storage period proceeded. Tangible changes were noted for the sensory qualities of leather and jam during storage. Storing was found to improve the sensory qualities of wine. The assessment of microbial quality revealed that the products were microbially safe. Evaluation of rate technology adoption, after transferring the technology to self help groups, reveled satisfactory results.