Nutritional values and acceptability of syrups produced after blending carrots, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes

Abstract

Background The artificial syrups on the market are known with many harmful health effects for using unnatural colors and flavors. This study evaluated the effect of different compositions of syrups and storage on the quality and nutritional value of syrups produced from three types of high nutritional vegetables such as carrot, sweet potato, and tomato, at weighting ratios T1 (6:2:2), T2 (5:3:2), T3 (4:4:2), T4 (3:5:2), and T5 (2:6:2). Pasteurization was performed at 85 °C/25 s for concentrated syrup at 65°Brix. Physicochemical analyses were applied to the recovered drink at 14°Brix every 2 months for 6 months. Results Ascorbic acid, carotenoids, lycopene, color values, total phenols, and antioxidant activity gradually decreased in all treatments during storage, while acidity and browning increased. Increasing sweet potatoes about 4% or decreasing under 3% harmed the overall acceptability of the syrups. Conclusion Finally, the findings revealed that T2 and T3 were the most suitable samples on storage. Therefore, our data recommended producing syrups from carrot, sweet potato, and tomato with the same composition of T2 and T3, which give a more attractive taste and flavor similar to apricot juice.