Abstract:
Carrot is known to have the potential of providing vital nutrition as well as health and
well-being to consumers. In this study, carrot juice was envisaged as a good vehicle for
spreading its nutraceutical benefits. The study was then designed in two parts: (a) Survey
to establish the beverage consumption pattern in the Anyaa-Sowutuom District in the
Greater Accra Region of Ghana and (b) Carrot juice formulation and optimisation. The
survey was conducted by administering a questionnaire to volunteer adult consumers. To
develop an acceptable carrot juice beverage, pineapple juice and mango juice were
included as components to improve taste and flavour respectively. A constrained, simplex
centroid mixture design for three components was employed to optimise the proportions
of the components in the final product based on sensory attributes. Chemical analyses as
well as shelf stability studies were conducted for the optimised beverage preserved by
chemicals and gamma radiation. Data obtained from the survey revealed that juices were
very popular among consumers. The choice of a particular beverage was dependent
on nutrition, taste and colour. Contour plots generated from sensory data of the products
were overlaid to determine the optimum ratios of the components of the cocktail
beverage. The optimised product consisted of 50-52 % Carrot, 18-20 % Pineapple and
28-30 % Mango. Analysis of the beverage revealed 223 mg/100ml Potassium, 3.92
mg/100ml Pro-vitamin A (Beta carotene) and 43 mg/100ml Vitamin C. After 8 weeks of
storage 77 % Pro-vitamin A was retained in products chemically treated and as well as
products irradiated at 1 kGy. However, about 60 % of this same nutrient was retained
even under relatively higher dose (2.5 kGy) of gamma radiation. The microbial quality of
the beverage was good under all conditions studied.
