Development and acceptability of tamarillo honey jam among preschoolers (4-5 years) and adults in Kakamega, Kenya

Abstract

Fighting malnutrition in all its forms among adults and children faces a great challenge in the 21st century. Utilization of fruits in jam  production has been on the rise. Exploring the use of honey for food value addition has also gained popularity. Tamarillo as a fruit has a  high antioxidant activity, contents of  carotenoids, ascorbic acid, Vitamin B6,  minerals and provitamin A. Globally, tamarillo  is an  underutilized, sustainable fruit crop with  great potential for value-added product  preparations such as salads, sauces, soups,  jams, ice  creams, juices and liqueurs. In  Kenya, tamarillo has gained traction in the  recent past due to the increasing awareness  of its nutritional  value and economic  potential. This study sought to develop  tamarillo honey jam and determine its  acceptability among preschoolers (4-5)  years  and adults (parents included) (25-60) years.  Fresh ripe tamarillo fruits were collected  along with honey from Kitale and  Marigat  farms. The acceptability tests done with  preschoolers used the 9-point hedonic scale  and Focus Group Interview guide for adults.   The sensory evaluation parameters used  were: smell, appearance/colour, mouth feel,  taste, fluidity and general acceptance. Coded  and  transcribed videos. were analyzed with  NVIVO 20 for qualitative data and SPSS  version 25 for the descriptive statistics.  Developed tamarillo honey jam consisted of  64.93% (4.3 kg) fruit pulp, 32.45% (2.15 kg)  honey, 2.59% (0.172 kg) pectin and 0.03%  (0.002 kg) preservatives. The results showed  that the smell, appearance/colour, taste, mouthfeel and fluidity of tamarillo honey jam  were important factors in accepting the jam.  More than 75% of both adults and  preschoolers liked the jam with less than 25%  having negative test preferences. The findings  revealed that tamarillo jam was  acceptable among the adults and  preschoolers. Findings indicate that honey  can  be incorporated in jams for consumption   of variety value added  nutritious products and  help address  macronutrients and  micronutrient public  health concerns  alongside diets.