effect of processing operation and conditions on the quality of canned guava juice

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the changes that take place in the chemical composition and microbiological quality of Guava fruit as a result of the processing procedures involved in the manufacturing of canned Guava juice. The most apparent chemical change was in the level of vitamin C which suffered a significant loss throughout processing operations. The procedures of processing also added more contaminants to the original bacterial load of the Guava fruit. However, the final pasteurization process caused 99.01% inhibition to the bacterial count and complete destruction to coliforms. Storage of the canned Guava juice for 6 months at room temperature and 5°C caused a decrease in both vitamin C and sugar contents. The decrease was more pronounced in samples kept at room temperature than at 5°C. The bacterial count increased from 8.3 x 10[2]/ml to 1.3 x 10[4] and 6 x 10[4] cells/ml at 5°C and room temperature respectively