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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Healthy Processed Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #369920
Research Project: New Sustainable Processing Technologies to Produce Healthy, Value-Added Foods from Specialty Crops

Location: Healthy Processed Foods Research

Title: Enhancing quality and nutrition of spray-dried concentrated watermelon juice using watermelon co-product carrier blends

Author
item Milczarek, Rebecca
item SEDEJ, IVANA - Porifera

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/31/2020
Publication Date: 7/13/2020
Citation: Milczarek, R.R., Sedej, I. 2020. Enhancing quality and nutrition of spray-dried concentrated watermelon juice using watermelon co-product carrier blends. Meeting Abstract. Paper Number 25254.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) juice is a refreshing and nutritious beverage; spray drying with the addition of a carrier is one method of processing the perishable juice into a shelf-stable powder. However, traditional carriers such as maltodextrin [MD] do not add health benefits to the product. Watermelon pomace (the co-product of juice) and watermelon rind (the co-product of fresh-cut melon) have promise to both increase the quality and nutrition of spray-dried watermelon juice and provide a value-added use for watermelon co-products, increasing the sustainability of the powder production process as a whole. Thus, blends of watermelon co-products and MD were used as carriers for the pilot-scale spray drying of pre-concentrated watermelon juice, and the effects of the carriers on various quality metrics were measured. To prepare the carrier materials, the edible portions of commercial watermelon pomace and watermelon rinds were freeze-dried and ground into powders. Single-strength watermelon juice (8°Brix) was first concentrated to 63°Brix via forward osmosis and then diluted to 16°Brix (the highest concentration that could be spray dried). The concentrate was then brought up to a loading of 25% w/w carrier using 1 of 5 carrier blends: 100% MD, 11% rind (89% MD), 11% pomace (89% MD), 25% rind (75% MD), and 25% rind (75% MD). The spray-dried powders were analyzed for L*/a*/b* color values; the contents of lycopene, the amino acid citrulline, and total soluble phenolics (TSP); and antioxidant activity. ANOVA results indicated that carrier composition had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on all the quality metrics. Powders with any amount of co-product carrier had higher a* color value (characteristic red color of watermelon) than the 100% MD control. In a similar vein, all of the co-product carrier blends conferred an increase of at least 5x lycopene, 1.5x citrulline, and 1.3x TSP, compared to the all-MD carrier. Rind contributed more citrulline than did pomace at the 11% substitution level; this is expected because citrulline is produced primarily in the rind of the fruit. The results of this work will inform the development of new sustainable processing strategies for watermelon juice powder.