Abstract

The investigation on standardization of sweet orange and pomegranate blended RTS beverage using sugar substitutes was carried out at the Processing Laboratory in the Division of Post Harvest Technology, Indian Institute of Horticulture Research, Bengaluru from November 2009 to June 2010. The RTS beverage prepared from sweet orange and pomegranate juices at the ratio of 50:50 with sugar and sugar substitutes and their combinations revealed that the treatments 50% sucrose+50% fructose and 50% sucrose+50% sucralose were on par with sucrose in respect of overall acceptability scores and these were rated the better recipes in sensory evaluation. Among the treatments, highest TSS of 14.60° Brix, pH 3.31, acidity of 0.28%, ascorbic acid of 6.53 mg/100 g, reducing sugars of 12.48%, non-reducing sugars of 3.58% and total sugars of 14.12% were recorded in 50% sucrose+50% fructose, sucralose and 50% sucrose+50% fructose, sucralose, 50% sucrose+50% fructose, 50% sucrose+50% fructose, 50% sucrose+50% aspartame and 50% sucrose+50% fructose, respectively. The TSS, titratable acidity and reducing sugars were increased, while pH, total sugars, non-reducing sugars and ascorbic acid were decreased during storage in all the treatments. The sweet orange and kokum blended RTS beverage with sugar substitutes had storage stability up to six months.