Improved method of liquid jaggery preparation

Abstract

Liquid jaggery (LJ) is an important intermediate product obtained during the preparation of jaggery from sugarcane juice (SCJ). Unlike the white sugar, LJ is having additional nutritional components which are having wide spectrum of medicinal properties and hence, it is a good nutraceutical. LJ is incorporated in many traditional foods and ayurvedic medicinal compositions. In the present study, five products of LJ were prepared from SCJ with different experimental methods, 1. Filtration, 2. pH neutralisation, 3. Citric acid addition, 4. Without filtration and 5. Control (without filtration and scum removal) to compare their quality and acceptability. pH neutralisation resulted in clear product but showed sucrose crystallization. Citric acid addition, preparation without filtration and control gave turbid LJ products. Organoleptic examination was done using a nine-point Hedonic scale to evaluate the LJ samples for appearance, colour, flavour, taste and overall acceptability. The filtration gave LJ product of good appearance, colour, taste and acceptability with highest score. Product from filtration method was validated by 1H NMR spectrum for major ingredients with prominent characteristic signals of glucose, fructose and sucrose units with the relevant δ values. The best product was obtained with filtration method at the striking temperature of 106°C involving simples steps without incorporation of any harmful chemicals. Hence, filtration method of preparation of LJ is suggested for obtaining good quality LJ.