Abstract: Drying is a mass transfer process consisting of the removal of water or another solvent by evaporation from a solid, semi-solid, or liquid. This process is often used as a final production step before selling or packaging products. Dried Kulitis leaves can be used as tea, use for cereal, and cookies too. This study determined the extent of the utilization of dried kulitis (Amaranthus spinosus) leaves for varied food products. The products were evaluated as to sensory qualities and acceptability in terms of appearance, aroma, taste, and texture. Significant differences in the sensory qualities and acceptability were also determined.  Microbial and proximate analysis of the best treatment and the shelf-life were also studied. The study used the Experimental-Developmental method of research using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). It was conducted in three (3) products with different treatments with three trials. The sensory qualities were evaluated by ten (10) semi-trained panelists and the acceptability of the products were evaluated by seventy (70) consumers. Scorecards with the Nine (9) Points Hedonic Scale was used to obtain the data. The mean and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data into alpha level set at a 0.01. The sensory qualities of the varied food products with dried kulitis leaves were evaluated by semi-trained panelists with three (3) different treatments. Kulitis tea with a combination of lemon and ginger for Product A got a very much clear and sparkling, very much pleasant, very much delicious, and very much smooth in terms of appearance, aroma, taste, and texture. Kulitis bar cookies with sweet potato for product B got very much appealing, extremely pleasant, extremely delicious, and very much crisp. Kulitis cereal with sweet potato for product C got a very much appealing, extremely pleasant, extremely delicious, and extremely soft and intact as evaluated by semi-trained panelists. The consumers’ acceptability of varied food products with dried kulitis leaves considering the sensory qualities that all the products of dried kulitis leaves were Liked Very Much as evaluated by seventy (70) consumers, however, product C (Kulitis bar cookies) got the highest result in all quality attributes. There was no significant difference found in the sensory and consumers’ acceptability of varied food products with dried kulitis leaves among the three treatments. Shelf-life of the varied food products with dried kulitis leaves when stored at room temperature could last for 2 weeks with no changes in the sensory attributes when sealed completely.

Likewise, the microbial analysis of the best treatment of cereal flakes with dried kulitis got a result of Aerobic Plate Count <250 cfu/g sample, Total Coliform Count <1.8 MPN/g sample, and Molds and Yeast Count <10* cfu/g sample based on the BFAD reference criteria. Moreover, cereal flakes with dried kulitis leaves were safe for human consumption as the results of microbial analysis of the product and based on the BFAD standard for microorganism tests for products belonging to the baked goods category.

Keywords: Drying, Dried Kulitis Leaves, Cereal Flakes, Cookies, and Tea

Works Cited:

Nieva Cartujano-Duga" UTILIZATION OF DRIED KULITIS (AMARANTH) LEAVES FOR VARIED FOOD PRODUCTS", IARJSET International Advanced Research Journal in Science, Engineering and Technology, vol. 10, no. 7, pp. 701-714, 2023. Crossref https://doi.org/10.17148/IARJSET.2023.107115

 

| DOI: 10.17148/IARJSET.2023.107115