Quality evaluation and shelf life analysis of fruit juice cocktail containing Mango (Mangifera indica) and Pineapple (Ananas comosus)

The development of the innovative flavored juices by coalescing two or more distinct types of fruits is encouraged by the tremendous expansion of the juice industry. Fruit juice cocktails frequently contain high nutritional content as well as organoleptic features such as color, flavor, taste, and overall attractiveness of various fruits. The use of different heat treatments and storage temperatures on single juice has previously been extensively researched, however, only a limited study has been performed on a juice cocktail. Therefore, the effect of pasteurization temperature (60 degrees C and 90 degrees C) and storage temperature (4 degrees C and 25 degrees C) on physicochemical, microbial, and sensory properties of pineapple-mango juice cocktail was investigated. Standard procedures were used to determine physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics. The results of the study demonstrated a slight increase in TSS, acidity, and cloud stability during storage, while a gradual decrease in vitamin C, pH, total sugars, and Lovibond color. The S4 sample that was pasteurized at 60 degrees C for 20 min and maintained at 4 degrees C storage temperature retained more vitamin C, acidity, and total sugar than the other samples. According to the microbiological data, the total viable count in the fruit juice cocktail samples varied from 3.42 x 102 to 8.5 x 107, and after two months of storage, the bacterial load in sample S4 increased from 3.52 x 102 to 5.5 x 103. The sensory evaluations revealed that all of the samples were widely accepted, with sample S4 having the greatest overall acceptance owing to the cocktails color, flavor, and taste. Therefore, this study demonstrates that perishable fruits may be turned into appealing juice cocktails, increasing the sensory characteristics and hence the products escalation value. These findings also promote the development of a healthy and nutritious, fruit-based juice cocktail.