Sensory and Physicochemical Characteristics of Naturally Flavoured Borassus aethiopum Syrups for Potential Applications in Food Products

The study explored the possibility of using sap from the fruit pulp of Borassus aethiopum in developing a fruit syrup with acceptable sensory, nutritional and physicochemical properties for technological application in food products. B. aethiopum syrup with its original flavour was developed alongside 2 other B. aethiopum syrup products infused with the flavouring agents- ginger and tamarind. Although sensory evaluation of the three syrup products by 98 untrained panelist showed non-significant difference (P>0.05), they were all rated highly. The flavoured products were rated slightly higher than the unflavoured syrup for all sensory attributes. Proximate and physicochemial analysis of the highly rated B. aethiopum syrup product obtained through sensory evaluation indicated that the syrup has a protein content of 1.17, fat content of 4.67, carbohydrate content of 72.93, ash content of 2.19, moisture content of 17.71, pH of 4.56 and titratable acidity of 0.87. This suggests that underutilized tropical fruits from B. aethiopum can be used for the manufacture of syrups to impart desirable natural sweetness, flavours and colours to food products. Keywords: Borassus aethiopum, syrup, sensory, physicochemica