Abstract: Food innovation has always played a crucial role in human development, providing solutions to enhance flavor, prolong shelf life, and reduce food waste. This study explored the use of cucumber tree, batuan, and green mango as alternative souring agents in sinigang, aiming to reduce food waste and promote culinary innovation. It focused on evaluating the sensory qualities, such as appearance, aroma, sourness, and texture, and the overall acceptability of fruit pastes derived from these indigenous ingredients.Using an experimental-developmental research design, this employed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. Sensory data were gathered from 110 evaluators using the 9-Point Hedonic Scale, with results analyzed through arithmetic mean and ANOVA. The result revealed that all three pastes received favorable evaluations. Cucumber tree paste was rated very much appealing and extremely sour, while batuan paste was described similarly but with slightly less sourness. Green mango paste received the highest overall ratings for all attributes. In terms of consumer acceptability, evaluators showed strong preference across all samples, with green mango paste being the most liked followed by batuan paste and lastly, the cucumber tree paste. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences in appearance and aroma among the treatments, but no notable differences in sourness and texture. Consumer acceptability showed significant differences in appearance only. These results supported the potential of cucumber tree, batuan, and green mango as viable, natural souring agents. Among the three, green mango paste was selected for further testing. Microbial and proximate analyses confirmed its safety, nutritional value, and potential for longer shelf life, reinforcing its suitability for commercialization and use in sustainable food product development.

Keywords: Fruit Souring Paste, Microbial and Proximate Analyses, Cucumber Tree, Batuan, Green Mango

| DOI: 10.17148/IARJSET.2025.125325