Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Technologia Alimentaria

Background. Chrysalidocarpus lutescens fruit is considered high in antioxidant compounds. However, its use in food products is limited due to its bitterness. One of the ideal products that could be produced from this fruit is a sugar-coated product.
Materials and methods. This research aimed to find the optimum conditions for processing a soft sugar-coated Chrysalidocarpus lutescens fruit with high levels of antioxidant compounds and acceptable sensory properties. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the various conditions, including blanching time (5–15 minutes), sugar addition (35–45%), and mild heating time (45–55 minutes). A Box- -Behnken design with 15 runs and three center points was conducted. Data obtained from RSM were sub­jected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using a second-order polynomial equation.
Results. The results show that the model fit was significant (p < 0.05) for antioxidant compounds with a high coefficient of correlation (R2 > 80%). There was also a satisfactory correlation between actual and predicted values. The optimum conditions were found at a blanching time of 8.4 min, sugar addition of 39.8%, and mild heating for 49.8 min. Under these conditions, the optimal sample has a higher acceptance score than that produced by the traditional method.
Conclusion. This finding could be useful for upscale production of a sugar-coated Chrysalidocarpus lute­scens fruit and has the potential to increase the techno-economic value of this fruit.