A study on the optimization of Bitter melon (Momordicha charantia) powder in pastille using response surface methodology

Abstract

Bitter melon is one of the fruits that consist a lot of nutrition and it has high potential to be commercialized since it is a healthy food. Hence, in this research bitter melon were used as the raw material in order to produce pastille. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to get the optimum value of bitter melon that need to be used in the making of bitter melon pastille. Furthermore, Central Composite Design (CCD) was used to develop models in finding the optimal bitter melon powder to be incorporated into pastille. In the process of finding the optimum value, 13 test were run with different value of bitter melon powder and sugar (suggested by CCD) towards hardness of the pastille. An optimized for mulation was obtained at where the hardness is 97.33 g where the amount of bitter melon powder was 1.25 g while the sugar was 98.75 g. In addition the result of the proximate analysis showed that the moisture content in the bitter melon pastille was 23.57 % followed by the ash content which is 0.611 % respectively. While the antioxidant and the crude fat was 1.10 % and 0.43 %. For texture profile analysis, it shows control pastille has higher value for hardness, cohesiveness, springiness gumminess and chewiness compared to the bitter melon pastille. Ws hile for adhesiveness, bitter melon has high value which is 0.33 compared to control pastille with value 0.0.