Formulation and Quality Shelf Life Evaluation of Squash Food Products

Abstract

Squash is one of the fruit vegetables that grows abundantly in the locality and that there are times of oversupply, thus these are only used as feeds to animals or just go to waste. Squash is a member of the curcubita family that has variety of textures, sizes, shapes and range in flavour. It is considered to be very rich in nutrients needed by our body particularly beta-carotene. It is a good source of Vitamin A and C. It also contains calcium and iron and it has very low calories. (De Leon, 2001).With these statements, the researcher conducted a study on the formulation of squash products such as cookies, tarts, butterscotch and “puto”. It also determined the shelf life or the keeping quality of the products. The standard recipes of cookies, tarts, butterscotch and “puto” were used as the basis for the formulation of the experimental samples. There were three (3) samples of formula or recipe prepared using different amount of squash for each product. These were prepared and coded properly for identification purposes during the evaluation process. The products were evaluated using a score card of sensory evaluation by panel of evaluators. The score card of sensory evaluation was used to determine the best formula in terms of taste, color, aroma, texture and appearance using a Nine-Point Hedonic Scale. Frequency counts, percentages and average weighted mean were used to treat the data gathered. The squash food products as a result of this study were found out to be very liked by the panel of evaluators in terms of taste, color, aroma and texture and stable for a week even without the addition of preservatives.