NUTRITIONAL AND SENSORY ASSESSMENT OF FRESH AND OSMOTICALLY DEHYDRATED CHAYOTE (SECHIUM EDULE) IN JUICE APPLICATIONS

As vegetables and fruits come under perishable commodities, preserving them for longer time for their usage is essential. One of the best techniques to preserve these is Dehydration. One such way of dehydration through osmosis is called Osmotic Dehydration. Chayote is one such underexplored vegetable that has great therapeutical and nutritional potential. The present study was carried out to analyse nutritional and mineral profile of fresh and osmotically dehydrated chayote vegetable. Proximate analysis was done for (Moisture, Protein, Fat, Fibre, Ash and Carbohydrate). Mineral analysis was done for (Iron, Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, Phosphorous and Iodine). The nutrients estimated were found to be Moisture (35.8 ± 0.12 to 67.2 ± 0.77), Protein (1.16 ± 0.04 to 5.52 ± 0.27), Fat (0.3 ± 0.1 to 0.8 ± 0.1), Fibre (1.38 ± 0.02 to 7.73 ± 0.17), Ash (2.63 ± 0.2 to 7.73 ± 0.17) and Carbohydrate (11.7 ± 0.17 to 57.3 ± 0.08). Minerals estimated were found to be Iron (2.29 ± 0.14 to 2.28 ± 0.01), Calcium (3.22 ± 0.08 to 6.4 ± 0.27), Potassium (7.66 ± 0.27 to 10.21 ± 0.1), Sodium (24.66 ± 1.24 to 86.3 ± 1.24), Phosphorous (2.42 ± 0.1 to 5.58 ± 0.27) and Iodine (4.23 ± 0.04 to 7.46 ± 0.17). The sensory analysis of developed juices determined that all the products were overall acceptable by the consumers. Overall, osmotic dehydration significantly retained nutrients due to mild conditions, whereas these were not retained by conventional drying technique due to prolonged exposure to heat and temperature.