ORGANOLEPTIC EVALUATION OF MANZANITAS (Muntingia calabura Linn) FRUIT
EXTRACT AS AN ALTERNATIVE SWEETENER
A Research Project Report
Presented to the faculty of Senior
High School Department
Southwestern University
PHINMA
Albert, Adhara Mariz
Alcansado, Brizard Marie
Alferez, Angelique Jane
Asuero, Riz Shaina
Asuque, Shane Marie
Aurea, Mariel Sophia
Batucan, Marc Raphael
Bisande, Kean Daphnie
Bregildo, Princess Mae
Bugas, Angel Trixie
Melbin A. Ducusin
March 2023
INTRODUCTION
The Philippines is thought to be Southeast Asia's "hot spot" for diabetes. One
recommendation for reducing diabetes is to consume processed foods that are lower in
sugar. By reducing the amount of sugar in some processed meals and offering
unsweetened alternatives, the health of young Filipinos will be benefited. These foods
include milk formula, milk products, confectionery, baked goods, and non-alcoholic
sweetened beverages. Actions are also necessary to cut back on the consumption of
table sugar.
M. Calabura Linn is a potential alternative food, medicine, and bioenergy source
because it can thrive in difficult environments and has nutrient-rich fruit. In the
Philippines, it has a high therapeutic value because of the variety of health benefits it
offers. Among other well-studied pharmacological effects, it has anticancer,
antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antibacterial, antiproliferative, and
antioxidant properties.
According to several studies, drinking sugar-sweetened drinks and consuming
baked products increases the chance of acquiring diseases including bone fractures,
hyperacidity, dental decay, and heart issues, as well as conditions like obesity, diabetes,
and blood sugar imbalances. In addition, commercial sugar includes a high quantity of
saturated fat, which is harmful to a person's overall health. Thus, the researchers made
an organoleptic assessment of the finished product to assess the viability of manzanitas
fruit extract as a substitute sweetener. The researchers used a pure experimental
research approach for this research before moving on to a survey. Stratified random
sampling is used to choose the respondents.
BACKGROUND
This research seeks to prove by comparing the organoleptic of commercial sugar and
mansanitas extract through sensory evaluation, if the mansanitas extract can be an
alternative sweetener. Approximately 85% of traditional medicine involves the use of
plant extracts. Excessive amount of sugar can lead to weight gain which can cause
diabetes. Diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death among the Filipinos based on the
data from the Philippines Statistics, and over 6 million are diagnosed to have diabetes.
It can be prevented by reducing the amount of sugar intake and offering unsweetened
alternatives. Mansanitas (Muntingia Linn Calabura) contains potential anti-diabetic
components. This plant has been discovered to have multiple health benefits. There are
also bioactive compounds like anthocyanin, flavonoid and polyphenol in the oft ignored
fruit. To which this components can be useful as a cure for diabetes. It does not contain
any harmful chemicals that can harm the body and it is a good source to produce an
alternative sugar. Researchers want to study Manzanitas and its possibilities to become
an alternative sweetener. It was said that Philippines is one of the countries with
diabetic people. By conducting this study, researchers want to find ways to lower down
the sugar level of Young Filipino's and to maintain having a good health. One of the
main contributor of diabetes are processed food, it includes baked foods, milk formula
and milk products. The process of making the sweetener was through the extraction of
Manzanitas and separating it to it's skin then it was heated 67⁰C with continuous stirring
in a non-stick pan. This study is a pure experimental which makes it suitable for the
study because the researchers can control almost all related factors and variables that
can affect the expected outcome.
PROJECT SUMMARY
The researchers introduced an innovation in the medical field with the title
Organoleptic Evaluation of Manzanitas (Muntingia calabura Linn) Fruit Extract As an
Alternative Sweetener. This research practically aims to evaluate the organoleptic
characteristics of manzanitas fruit extract as an alternative sweetener. Currently, we are
analyzing the results quantitatively through statistical data. The researchers aim to produce
the final output in the last week of the month.
Researchers:
Name: Adhara Mariz Albert
Contact No. : +639273644808
Name: Brizard Marie Alcansado
Contact No. : +639956623115
Name: Angelique Jane Alferez
Contact No. : +639350636885
Name: Riz Shaina Asuero
Contact No. : +639171037930
Name: Shane Marie Asuque
Contact No. : +639234327343
Name: Mariel Sophia Aurea
Contact No. : +639664512420
Name: Marc Raphael Batucan
Contact No. : +639455501829
Name: Kean Daphnie Bisande
Contact No. : +639153373867
Name: Princess Mae Bregildo
Contact No. : +639061991927
Name: Angel Trixie Bugas
Contact No. :+639153339565
As commercial sugar contains a high quantity of saturated fat, which is harmful to a
person's overall health, this study intends to manufacture an alternative sweetener from
Manzanitas fruit extract. In addition, the medical field, the environment, and the economy
would highly benefit this study for the reason that this innovation is related to the
aforementioned fields. This research study makes use of organoleptic evaluation of the
finished product to assess the viability of manzanitas fruit extract as a substitute sweetener.
In order to analyze the organoleptic properties of Manzanitas sweetener, this study's goal is
to do so.
Manzanitas can be found all across the Philippines, but it has seasonal fruiting, with
the majority of its production occurring from June to October. Finding Manzanitas poses
difficulties for researchers, especially since they don't bear fruit from December to February.
Majority of the Manzanitas that the researcher found are mostly unripe. However, it is not
appropriate for the sweetener ingredients we'll be employing.
On November 29 and December 10, the topic was chosen. Subsequently, during the
weeks of December 11–20 and December 11–31, researchers began their first paper
project, which was data Collection from Secondary Resources and Related Literature
Review. Researchers began their Materials and Methods and Selection of the Appropriate
Research Topics from January 1 through 10. Researchers then turned in their first chapter
between January 11 and 20. The creation of the product, data gathering, and paper revision
all took place in the month of February, namely from February 1 through 10, with revision
continuing through February 20.
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
Materials
The material to be used in the study will be ¼ kilo of Manzanitas fruit.
Table 1
Materials to be Used in the Preparation of Manzanita Fruit Extract as a
Healthy Alternative Sugar
Materials Quantity
Manzanitas ¼ kilo
Equipment
The equipment and utensils to be used in making manzanitas fruit extract as an
alternative sweetener are: a stove, spoon, frying pan, strainer, measuring cup, knife,
chopping board, and mortar and pestle.
Table 2
Equipment and utensils to be used in the preparation of manzanitas fruit extract as a
healthy alternative sugar.
Equipment and Utensils Unit
Butane 1
Spoon 2
Frying pan 1
Strainer 1
Measuring Cup 1 set
Knife 1
Chopping Board 1
Mortar and Pestle 1 set
PROCEDURE
1. Sample Collection
Manzanitas fruits (green, yellow-green, yellow, and red coloured peels) were
collected from January to February 2023, in the locale of Cebu City and Province. The
fruits harvested were immediately extracted. All fruits collected (¼kg) were mixed as a
single lot.
Weight Location Date
¼ kilo Tungkop, Minglanilla, Cebu 01/27/23
¼ kilo Total weight of fruits collected
2. Sample Preparation
The fruits collected were immediately washed with distilled water to remove surface
dirt.
3. Extraction
Adapted from the study of Arimboor, R., Venugopalan, V. V., Sarinkumar, K.,
Arumughan, C., & Sawhney, R. C. (2006). The collected Manzanitas fruits were taken
from storage and first cleaned by blanching in distilled water at room temperature to
remove surface dirt. The cleaned and blanched Manzanitas were pat-dried using paper
towels to remove excess water. Then, the Manzanitas fruits were manually squeezed to
extract the fruit extract, separating the skin.
4. Preparation of Alternative Sugar from Fruit Extraction
The fruit extract was heated to 67°C with continuous stirring in a non-stick pan
for 14.49.63 minutes. After the heating process, the fruit extract turned into a soft solid
substance, which was obtained through scraping and then transferred into a container
for the 15 to 20 minutes cooling process.
5. Sensory Evaluation
The sensory evaluation for this study was adapted from the study of Hooda, S., and
Jood, S. (2005). The organoleptic characteristics of an alternative sweetener were
determined using a taste panel consisting of six
research respondents. The research respondents were asked to evaluate the products
for appearance, color, texture, flavor, and overall acceptability. The ratings were on a
9-point hedonic scale, ranging from 9 (like extremely) to 1 (dislike extremely) for each
organoleptic characteristic (Austin & Ram, 1971, as cited from Hooda, S., et al., 2005).
Legend
9 - like extremely 4 - dislike slightly
8 - like very much 3 - dislike moderately
7 - like moderately 2 - dislike very much
6 - like slightly 1 - dislike extremely
5 - neither like or dislike
Parameters 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Colour
Texture
Appearance
Flavour
(Sweetness)
Taste
Overall
acceptability
6. Statistical Analysis
Results were subjected to a one-tailed paired T-test
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Conclusion
As evidenced by the results of the survey conducted, the researchers conclude
that commercial sugar has proven to be acceptable as a sweetener compared to
mansanitas extract. These findings affirm Kemp et al. (2011), who stated that
organoleptic and sensory evaluation is entirely subjective and that there are underlying
factors, namely psychological and physiological, that can influence the sensory
evaluation results. In addition, as a result of its properties, commercial sugar containing
99.8 g of sucrose per 100 g, is sweeter and more acceptable compared to natural
sweeteners such as mansanitas extract.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study, the following are suggested recommendations:
1. The researchers of this study recommend the future researchers to conduct a
nutritional label test in order to do proximate and accurate quantitative results.
2. The researchers further recommend conducting this study during the month of
June to October for the reason that this is the harvest season of Manzanitas.
3. The researchers recommend investigating the other properties of Manzanitas
that could contribute and act as a natural remedy for high sugar.
4. The researchers also recommend using a combination of fruits similar to
Manzanitas and observe its effects accordingly.
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