Physicochemical Properties and Preference Level of Soft Candy with the Addition of Pressurized Blanched Turmeric (Curcuma domestica Val.) Extract
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Consumption of functional foods is increasing among the public, along with awareness of the benefits of bioactive compounds for health. Soft candy enriched with turmeric extract has strong potential as a functional food, given its curcumin content. This study aimed to analyze the effects of adding turmeric extract and varying pressurized blanching times on the physicochemical properties and preference levels of soft candy. The production of soft candy, which included turmeric, comprised the following steps: extraction, filtration, mixing with candy ingredients, heating, molding, cooling, cutting, drying, and subsequent chemical analysis of the finished candies. A randomized complete block design was employed with two factors: turmeric extract levels (5, 10, and 15%) and pressurized blanching time in distilled water and 0.05% citric acid media (0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 minutes). The results showed that candies containing 15% turmeric extract, which was blanched for 2.5 minutes in distilled water and citric acid media, achieved the highest preference scores, 4.48 based on a 1–5 hedonic scale. Those blanched for 2.5 minutes in distilled water exhibited an antioxidant activity of 17.75% RSA and total phenolic of 5.06 mg GAE/g. In contrast, candies blanched in citric acid media showed 13.29% RSA antioxidant activity and a total phenolic content of 2.96 mg GAE/g.
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7129232173