ABSTRACT
Tomato powder has been developed as a way of mitigating
postharvest challenges associated with fresh tomatoes. However, there is
limited information on the quality characteristics and formulation protocol for
reconstituting tomato powder into paste. This study therefore sought to
determine the proximate composition, physicochemical properties (pH, Brix, titratable
acidity, colour) and consumer acceptance (scale of 1-7) of reconstituted tomato
powder. The solar dried Roma tomato flour were formulated into tomato paste
with different proportions of water and binder (cassava starch). A canned
commercial tomato paste was used as control. Moisture, crude protein, ash,
crude fat, crude fibre and carbohydrate content of the reconstituted powder
ranged from 73.01 - 73.93, 0.57 - 0.58, 4.90 - 5.07, 0.46 - 0.62, 13.73 - 17.38
and 2.57 - 7.11, respectively. That of the control was 71.61, 0.30, 3.30, 0.42,
10.94 and 13.44, respectively. pH, ยบ brix, titratable acidity and colour
(redness index) of the tomato paste samples ranged from 4.11 - 4.25, 1.95 -
2.25, 0.23 - 0.26 and 10.40 - 13.70 respectively, compared with 4.25, 2.25,
0.23 and 13.7 for the control. The tomato pastes from the reconstituted powder
was generally liked by consumers with average score of 5.02 compared to the
control with an average score of 6.10. Consumers‟ willingness to use the pastes
reconstituted from the tomato powder was also high with an average score of
4.51 compared to the average score of 5.97 for the control. The present
findings suggest that the method of processing the tomato powder induced some
structural changes, which were reflected in the fibre and carbohydrate content.
The consumer assessment further indicates a good market potential for extending
the use of tomato powder.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit
is a widely grown vegetable crop used in various food products such as sauce,
ketchup, squash and jam (Boumendjel et al., 2011). It is a basic ingredient of
many meals in Ghana especially, the sauces and stews which accompany most
traditional dishes. The fruit can also be consumed raw in salads or used to
make juices (Alam et al., 2007; Tambo and Gbemu, 2010). Tomato is rich in
essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals (Bradley, 2003).
Tomato has very high moisture
content and water activity which makes it susceptible to microbial growth and
senescence, resulting in about 30 % post-harvest losses every year in Ghana
(Aidoo et al., 2014). To mitigate these challenges, Owureku et al. (2017)
produced consumer-acceptable and shelf-stable tomato powder by use of a solar
drier. This drying technique (solar drying) is less expensive and can
effectively and efficiently reduce postharvest losses (Anthon et al., 2008).
However, the food use of tomato powder is limited; generally being used as an
additive (thus, for flavour, taste and colour) during food preparation rather
than a main ingredient for soups and stews as desired by the Ghanaian consumer
(Lavelli et al., 2001).
Tomato paste on the other hand is
highly consumed in Ghana - an average of twenty-five thousand (25,000) tonnes
per year, since the product is suitable for the food preparation needs of
consumers (Aryeetey, 2006). Thus, due to the absence of infrastructure to
produce the paste locally, Ghana is the second largest importer of tomato paste
globally (Aryeetey, 2006).
For
enhanced utilization of tomato powder, recent studies have proposed its
potential reconstitution into other products such as the tomato paste, jams and
ketchup (Boumendjel et al., 2011; Owureku et al., 2017). Thus, with the high
demand for tomato paste, and limited foreign exchange earnings, investigations
on the formulation protocol and quality characteristics of tomato powder
reconstituted into paste, could be a cost-effective value addition to the
shelf-stable tomato powder for domestic use and particularly, for use by small
scale food vendors.
1.2 Problem statement
There is a dearth of information on
the quality characteristics and formulation protocol for reconstituting tomato
powder into paste.
1.3 Justification
Reconstituting tomato powder into
paste is an effective way to explore alternate food uses of the powder and
enhance patronage. Such utilisation if promoted, could ultimately contribute to
the reduction of post-harvest losses of the crop and importation of tomato
paste.
1.4 Objective
To determine the formulation
protocol (water-powder-binder ratio) and assess the quality characteristics of
paste from reconstituted tomato powder.
Specific Objectives
To determine the
water-powder-binder ratio for reconstituting tomato powder into paste.
To determine the proximate content
and physicochemical properties (soluble solid, Brix, pH, colour and titratable
acidity) of the formulated paste.
To assess the consumer
acceptability of the formulated paste.
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