Industrial Utilization of Mesquite (Prosopis sp.) Fruits in Jam production

Abstract

The main goal of this research was to study the suitability of mesquite pods (fruits) as a raw material for jam manufacture. Therefore, the physical, chemical and microbial characteristics of the fruits at the beginning and by the end of the harvesting season (June – January) were studied, in order to determine the optimum harvesting time. The results indicated that, the weight, length and width of mesquite fruits ranged between 1.62 - 4.83gm, 9.80 - 22.87cm and 0.83 – 1.02cm, at the beginning and by the end of the harvesting season, respectively. Also, the fruits were found to contain high levels of total carbohydrates (71.43 – 83.54%), available carbohydrates (57.16 – 64.93%), protein (10.15- 18.06%) crude fiber (14.28 – 18.61%) and total sugars (8.66 – 22.41%), on dry matter basis. Moreover, the fruits were very rich in sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium which were found to range between 335.40- 361.40, 276.30 – 619.40, 268.90 – 485.30 and 181.30- 184.90 mg per 100gm at the beginning and by the end of the harvesting season, respectively on dry matter basis. Also, the results revealed that, the mesquite fruits were free from any microbial contamination. Results showed that the fruits were easily extracted after soaking in tab water (1:4) for 16 hours, mixing and straining. The hydrogen ions concentration (pH) was 4.10 in the extract, while the total soluble solids (T.S.S %) and yield were found to be 11.35% and 41.11% respectively. Then, the extracted juice was used in production of jam with high levels of available carbohydrates and energy content which ranged between 67.17 – 68.31% and 294.19 - 296.53 Kcal. per 100 gm jam, respectively. In addition to its high concentration of calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium which ranged between 140.94 – 284.80, 79.03 - 100.07, 47.21 – 72.62 and 17.88 – 84.56 mg per 100 gm jam. Finally, the results of the sensory evaluation of mesquite jam samples showed the high quality of the products with respect to their organoleptic properties. However, mesquite jam with pineapple flavour had better flavour, consistency and overall quality in comparison with mesquite jam that produced without any flavour.