ASSESSMENT OF SENSORY ATTRIBUTES AND PREFERENCE PATTERNS OF SIX GINGER BLENDED FRUIT DRINKS AMONG RURAL HOUSEHOLDS IN IMO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assessed the sensory attributes and preference patterns of six ginger blended fruit drinks among rural households in Imo State, Nigeria. It specifically determined the perceived sensory attributes of six selected ginger blended fruit (pineapple, orange, cashew, mango, soursop, watermelon) drinks among rural households and ascertained their preference patterns for the selected ginger flavoured drinks. The multi-staged sampling procedure was employed in the selection of 160 respondents for the study. The respondents were shown how to blend ginger with fruits to produce drinks and guided on how to assess the fruit drinks and record their ratings in the questionnaire. Data were collected and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result showed that the respondents perceived all the ginger fruit blends had pleasant sensory attributes (x̄ = 6.42) and pineapple ginger blend (x̄ = 4.41, ranked 1st) was the most preferred fruit drink, followed by orange ginger blend (x̄ = 3.50. ranked 2nd) and cashew ginger blend (x̄ = 3.04, ranked 3rd). The result also revealed that there was a significant difference in the perceived sensory attributes of the six ginger blended fruit drinks (p<0.05). It is therefore recommended that more awareness on the consumption of ginger blended fruit drinks, the nutritional as well as the medicinal values should be promoted, and entrepreneurs should also be encouraged to produce fruits