The Acceptability of High Calorie Fruit Leathers

1. The Acceptability of High Calorie Fruit Leathers Control Recipe: 3 cups strawberries ½ cup water The purpose:To develop acceptable high calorie food products practical for endurance athletes. Sensory Tests: The Likert Scale (1: very disatisfied to 4: very satisfied) was used for thirty panelists at a large university classroom setting. With supplying a ballot the panelists were able to evaluate color, chewiness, and acceptability of the fruit leathers. Research Questions: A). Is there a statistically significant difference in the desired sensory properties of color, chewiness, and overall acceptability for a strawberry fruit leather made with 1) the addition of coconut water & chia seeds, 2) the addition of raisins & agave nectar, or 3) the control recipe? B). Is there a statistically significant difference in the desired objective variables of chewiness & adhesiveness for strawberry fruit leather made with 1) the addition of coconut water & chia seeds, 2) the addition of raisins & agave nectar, or 3) the control recipe? • Variation 2: • 3 cups strawberries • ¾ cup raisins • ¼ cup agave nectar • ½ cup water • Variation 1: • 3 cups strawberries • ½ cup coconut water • ¼ cup chia seeds Paired-Sample t-Test for Color, Chewiness, and Overall Acceptability of Fruit Leather Variations. Nutrient Analysis Objective Tests: The texture analyzer measured three samples of: the control, variation 1, and variation 2 and tested for chewiness and adhesiveness. Mean and Standard Deviation for Objective Testing of Fruit Leather Variations. a Variation 1 – The addition of chia seeds and coconut waterb Variation 2 – The addition of raisins and agave nectarc Color – Mean of Variation 1 was significantly lower (p<0.05) than the Control and Variation 2 d Color – Mean of Variation 2 was significantly higher (p<0.05) than the Control and Variation 1e Chewiness – Mean of Variation 2 was significantly higher (p<0.05) than the Control and Variation 1f Acceptability – Mean of Variation 1 was significantly lower (p<0.05) than the Control and Variation 2 g Acceptability – Mean of Variation 2 was significantly higher (p<0.05) than the Control and Variation 1 Conclusions:The findings indicate that there is a significant difference found among Control and Variation 1 when measuring chewiness, there was also a major difference in overall acceptability for the Control. Variation 2 was more acceptable when compared to the Control. The results from the texture analyzer display that Variation 1 had the highest chewiness and adhesiveness. Based on the outcomes of the research, Variation 1 is not acceptable. Research Suggestions: Further research must be conducted to determine the best means of preparing fruit leathers that vary in ingredients. Additional baking observations must be taken to increase the acceptability of the variation that uses chia seeds, as well as modifying the product to make it higher calorie. a Variation 1- The addition of chia seeds and coconut water b Variation 2- The addition of raisins and agave nectar