Improvements of Textural Properties and Flavor Variants in Carrageenan-based Pre-mix Jelly Powder

Abstract

PT Xumei Food Tech Indonesia is a flavor house company that focuses on flavor production and application while utilizing the business-to-business concept. The author conducts her internship in this company under the research and development department for 4 months with a daily weekday work schedule of from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. One of the projects handled was to formulate chocolate pre-mix jelly from a carrageenan powder base provided, and also the suggestion to add fruity flavors as well. Carrageenan is a hydrocolloid that has been widely used in the dessert industry, however, it has a harder texture in comparison to konjac, causing the utilization of food-grade salts as well as organic acids to be involved in making the textural properties similar to those of the commercial ones. The suitable concentration for potassium citrate and citric acid was able to be finalized and the prototype was submitted to the customer, where the fruity ones have a higher concentration of citric acids as the types of tropical fruits tend to be perceived as sour ones. Both texture and flavor play an important role in food palatability as flavor comprises non-volatile and volatile that are released when food is ingested and texture contributes to the mouthfeel. Despite all that, after gaining lots of experience and also being able to apply her theoretical knowledge, the internship has helped the author learn lots of practical and extensive knowledge that has not been covered during her years of studies.