The Effect of Different Concentrations of Pectin and Xanthan Gum on Sensory Properties and Water Activity of the Fruit Pastille Based on Cantaloupe Puree

In this study the effect of different levels of xanthan and pectin on water activity and sensory properties of fruit pastille formulation based on Cantaloupe puree has been studied. The effects of xanthan (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 %) and pectin (0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 %) were analyzed in a completely randomized design with factorial experiment. Results of ANOVA revealed that different levels of xanthan, pectin and interaction effects between pectin and xanthan had significant influence on water activity of cantaloupe pastilles (p≤0.05). The effects of pectin and xanthan were evaluated on sensory attributes by using multivariate variance analysis (MANOVA). Generally, only pectin level significantly changed (Hotelling Trace = p≤0.05) the sensory attributes. Pectin showed significant influence (p≤0.05) on color intensity, flavor color and appearance acceptance of pastilles. Xanthan had significant effect (p≤0.05) on color intensity and surface adhesivness. Pectin-xanthan interactions also showed significant influence (p≤0.05) on color intensity and stiffness of pastilles. Results of PCA determined that texture and flavor properties were more important than appearance attributes on total acceptance of cantaloupe pastille.