Product Development and Sensory Evaluation of Salted Caramel Coconut Energy Gel

Goh, Geok Kee (2019) Product Development and Sensory Evaluation of Salted Caramel Coconut Energy Gel. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.

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Abstract

Most energy gels in the market contain mainly maltodextrin and sugars. This study aims to develop energy gel by using coconut flesh and coconut water as base ingredients. Coconut contains high percentage of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) that can be easily metabolized to yield energy while coconut water is rich in minerals that replenish electrolytes loss during exercise. MCFAs are fully saturated fat, thus contribute to the oxidative stability of the product. Two flavoured coconut energy gels (natural coconut flavour and salted caramel flavour) were developed. Sensory qualities of both samples were evaluated by 50 panellists using 9-point hedonic scale. The Acceptance Index (AI) of salted caramel coconut energy gel (81%) was significantly higher than that of the natural coconut flavoured gel (62%). The mean scores for various sensory attributes of salted caramel coconut energy gel were: appearance=6.26±1.48, flavour=7.08±1.51, taste=7.00±1.76, viscosity=6.60±1.34, gumminess=6.26±1.54 and overall acceptability=7.30±1.53, all significantly higher than that of the control (p<0.05), except for appearance (no significant difference). Chemical analysis results showed that salted caramel coconut gel contained (per 100g) 64.43±0.23g moisture, 15.46g carbohydrate, 11.52±1.32g fat, 3.71±0.38g protein, 3.83±0.18g crude fibre, 461±20mg potassium and 176±13mg sodium, and 180 calories. Its antioxidant activity, DPPH inhibition was 12.05±0.60% and TPC value was 2.45±0.31mg GAE/g. In conclusion, coconut energy gel provides an alternative for nutritional ergogenic aids due to its acceptable sensory quality, more spontaneous energy source, and high in potassium and sodium content.