FORMULATION, ANALYSES AND ACCEPTABILITY OF PAPAYA MEATY BITES

Abstract: Food innovation plays an important role in enhancing nutritional value, promoting health conscious eating, and creating sustainable alternatives to conventional food products. It focused on evaluating the sensory qualities such as appearance, aroma, taste, and texture as well as the overall acceptability, and nutritional content of the developed products. Using an experimental developmental research design, the study followed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three treatments and replications. Sensory data were gathered from 110 evaluators using the 9-Point Hedonic Scale, with results analyzed through arithmetic mean and ANOVA. Findings revealed that all three papaya meaty bite variants papaya balls, papaya loaf, and papaya nuggets received favorable sensory evaluations. Papaya loaf scored highest in taste and texture, while papaya nuggets led in appearance and aroma. Although slightly lower in some aspects, papaya balls still met the acceptable range across all sensory qualities. In consumer acceptability, papaya nuggets emerged as the most preferred product, followed by papaya loaf and papaya balls. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in appearance and aroma, while taste and texture showed no significant differences, indicating consistent quality in those attributes. In terms of overall acceptability, appearance was the only quality with a statistically significant difference, emphasizing the impact of visual appeal on consumer preference. Papaya nuggets were selected for microbial and proximate analysis, which confirmed their safety, nutritional value, and extended shelf life. These findings support the product's potential for commercialization and its value in sustainable food product development.

Keywords: Sensory Qualities, Microbial and Proximate Analysis, Papaya Meaty Bites