Effect Of Ginger And Pepper Fruit Treatment On The Physical, Microbial And Sensory Properties Of Zobo Drinks Stored At Ambient Temperature

ABSTRACT

The effect of ginger and pepper fruit treatment on the physical, microbial and sensory properties of zobo drinks stored at ambient temperature was studied using standard methOds. The results showed that extracts from ginger and pepper fruits had no significant effect on the viscosity during the storage time, the pH of the drinks decreased as the storage time increased within the range of 3.79-3.18. The specific gravity of samples decrcascd with incrcasc in storage time. The total soluble solids of zobo drinks decreased significantly with increase in storage time at 18.37-13.50°Brix. The total bacterial count of the drinks increased with storage time and reached its peak at day five 4.8 X 104cfu/ml for Zobo drinks with no ginger or pepper fruit. There was no significant growth observed for zobo drinks blended with ginger and pepper fruit. The sensory properties showed that the zobo drinks blended with ginger and pepper fruit had the highest rating for appearance, flavour, taste and generally acceptability. The use of ginger and pepper fruit extracts in commercial zobo production can be exploited for increased shelf life and minimal microbial load in zobo drinks.