Hard candy development from Jatobá pulp (Hymenaea stigonocarpa Mart)

Abstract

The Jatobá-do-cerrado (Hymenaeastigonocarpa Mart), has fruits with pale yellow pulp, characteristic flavor and aroma, containing high levels of sugar, being rich in carotenoids, polyphenols, vitamin C, in addition to a  significant amount of fiber. The use of jatobá for economic purposes can be enhanced through the strategic methodology of new product development. With this in mind, the objective of this work was to develop a hard candy, from the pulp of the jatobá, and to evaluate the acceptance of the product through sensory test. The fruits of the jatobazeirowere collected at the Samambaia Campus of the Federal University of Goiás in September 2017. The ingredients used in the process were: crystal sugar, corn glucose syrup, water, and powdered citric acid. A sensory analysis was carried out with 61 untrained tasters, who evaluated the parameters - flavor, texture, aroma and global impression, using a hedonic scale of 9 points, in which the score 9 (nine) corresponded to “I liked it a lot” and 1 (one ) to “I really disliked”. The hard jatobá candy was well accepted in relation to all attributes, which can be reinforced with the purchase intention, where it was found that 52% of the tasters said they would buy the candy, if it were for sale. According to the results obtained, it was concluded that the jatobácandy has good acceptance and can be a good alternative to add value to the fruit of the jatobazeiro.