| | Alfred Trappey with a sample of the mayhaw-muscadine fruit juice drink. |
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The cranberry was once an obscure, regional fruit that through research and marketing has been propelled to a commodity with international demand. LSU AgCenter researchers hope that the mayhaw may also achieve such prominence, and research projects are under way. The following study involves mayhaw-muscadine juice blends.
Preliminary consumer preference testing determined that, after an adjustment to the sugar acid ratio, certain combination proportions of mayhaw-muscadine fruit juices were considered by consumers to be similar in flavor to commercially available cranberry/apple/grape juice drink. Before preference testing, mayhaw-muscadine juice blends were adjusted to about the same percent total soluble solids (17) as found in the Ocean Spray cranberry apple juice drink. Juice blends formulated from different combinations of mayhaw-muscadine differed significantly in color, flavor, taste and overall acceptance. Most important, fruit juice drinks produced from either 60/40, 30/70 or 40/60 mayhaw-muscadine blends were considered best in flavor and overall acceptability. Taste had the strongest effect on overall acceptability of finished juice formulated when varying the level of mayhaw juice used in combination with muscadine grape juice. Taste scores correlated significantly with acceptance for both 60/40 and 40/60 mayhaw-muscadine juice blends. |