Acceptability of Musa Balbisiana (Saba Banana) Puree in Two Treatments in Making Ice Cream

Musa Balbisiana or Saba is a variety of banana fruit that is nutritious and readily available in the market the whole year round. This experimental study aimed to determine the acceptability of the ice cream made from Saba banana puree in two treatments (treatment 1- cooked puree and treatment 2- uncooked puree). Data gathered were described and analyzed using a special Analysis of Variance. The sensory characteristics of the ice cream in two treatments were compared with one another based on the 9-point hedonic scale utilized by trained panelist in the education sector in secondary, tertiary and graduate school level that specialized in food related discipline such as Food Technology, Food Service Management, Technology and Livelihood Education- Food Trades and Hotel and Restaurant Management Results indicated that in treatment 1( cooked puree) the taste and texture of the ice cream were liked extremely however its color was rated liked very much, while in treatment 2 (uncooked puree) the texture and color were rated liked moderately while its taste was rated liked very much. A comparison of the sensory characteristics between the two treatments revealed that there is a significant difference in terms of taste, texture and color and overall acceptability of the Saba banana ice cream. It is then recommended that in preparing Saba banana puree using treatment 1 (cooking method), the fruit should be subjected in numerous sieving process using a fine mesh siever or sifter to produce good quality puree texture.

Keywords: Saba banana, ice cream, creaming, blending, freezing, enzymatic browning, ascorbic acid, food shelf life testing