PROCESSING AND CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE OF FRUIT LEATHER FROM THE UNFERTILIZED FLORAL PARTS OF JACKFRUIT

A fruit leather was developed from the unfertilised floral parts of ja ck-fruit. The characteristics of the leather were as follows: moisture 12.26%,, fat 0.26%, protein 2.85%, crude fibre 6.27%, ash 0.87%, pH 4 .8, titratable acidity 0.0005 meg NaOH g(-1), vitamin C 0.023 mg ascor bic acid per 100 g, caloric value 440 kcal per 100 g and water activit y 0.6. The colour was bright yellow. Microbial count of the leather wa s low throughout the storage period. The fruit leather was most stable when packaged in laminated aluminium foil (LAF) during storage. Senso ry evaluation showed that samples were acceptable by the panelists. A market survey showed that the fruit leather was slightly better accept ed by the consumer at large than laboratory sensory panelists, especia lly by male respondents and from ethnic Indians. However, more work is needed to further improve the new fruit leather.