Abstract

Pitaya fruit has recently drawn much attention both for its economic value and potential health benefits which can be further enhanced by addition of soursop juice a rich source of phenolic antioxidants with a high antioxidant activity. Both pitaya and soursop fruits are perishable during post-harvest and very rapidly ripen becoming mushy and difficult to consume fresh. In an attempt to diversify value-added products from these miracle fruits, this research was conducted during 2020 at Soc Trang Nanotech laboratory, Soc Trang province, Vietnam to examine different ratios of pitaya and soursop on the physico-chemical and sensory properties of blended pitya-soursop beverage. A total of 6 blending experiments viz., pitaya juice; blended pitaya: soursop juice (85: 15); blended pitaya: soursop juice (70: 30); blended pitaya: soursop juice (55: 45); blended pitaya: soursop juice (40: 60); blended pitaya: soursop juice (25: 75). The blended aliquots were pasteurized at 75°C for 6 minutes, blended and cooled immediately to 4°C. prior physico-chemical and sensory analysis. Results revealed that the brightness and yellowness tended to increase with increasing soursop proportion. When the soursop juice increased, the red color and viscosity values reduced the tendency for the percentage of acidity, vitamin C increased in comparison with the pitaya juice. There was a tendency for pH and anthocyanin values decreased in comparison to the pitaya sample due to the reduction of pitaya juice mixed with soursop juice. A formulation of pitaya: soursop juice @ 40: 60 ratio is an appropriate combination.