Enhancing the quality and consumer satisfaction of dragon fruit beverage production: The effects of geological origin and processing conditions.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, the impacts of various processing parameters on the quality and consumer satisfaction of dragon fruit beverages were investigated in order to establish an informative framework for the manufacturing of commercial dragon fruit beverages, focusing on health benefits and safety for consumers, and sensory appeal of the products. METHODS: This study employed various analytical methods to quantify some important phytochemical compounds in dragon fruit juice such as total and reducing sugars, vitamin C, betacyanins, anthocyanins, polyphenol, and so forth. This study also employed the Box-Behnken response surface experimental design to optimize various processing parameters for quality and consumer satisfaction, which include enzymatic pectin hydrolysis parameters and formulation for dragon fruit energy drink. RESULTS: The results from this study indicated a causal relationship between geological origin and some important characteristics of dragon fruit juice, emphasizing the need to track the source of fruits to ensure consistent quality of juice products. This study also systematically determined the impacts of various enzymatic hydrolysis, thermal sterilization, and formulation parameters on both nutrition content and sensory aspects of dragon fruit beverages, while also successfully optimized these parameters for the best outcomes. CONCLUSION: This study had successfully achieved the objective of establishing a valuable framework for the manufacturing of commercial dragon fruit beverages, focusing on health benefits and safety for consumers, and sensory appeal of the products.