Abstract
This study aimed to develop a functional jelly candy enriched with black carrot pomace (BCP) and virgin olive oil, promoting both nutritional enhancement and byproduct valorization. Three jelly formulations were prepared using BCP at levels of 6.7 g, 8.7 g, and 10.7 g, and apple juice concentrate (AJC) at 39.6 g, 37.6 g, and 35.6 g, respectively. Texture profile analysis showed that increasing BCP content significantly reduced jelly hardness from 31.87 ± 2.23 N to 21.24 ± 1.04 N, springiness from 0.817 ± 0.014 to 0.622 ± 0.018, cohesiveness from 0.539 ± 0.051 to 0.370 ± 0.015, and chewiness from 13.99 ± 0.83 to 4.90 ± 0.47. Sensory evaluation conducted with 20 panelists revealed that the formulation with intermediate BCP (Formula 2) achieved the highest overall acceptability score (7.40 ± 1.54) and lowest oiliness perception (6.25 ± 2.05). The jelly exhibited 17.68 ± 0.46% moisture, 30.4 ± 0.03% total sugar, 5.6 ± 0.2% dietary fiber, 4.85 ± 0.29% protein, and 25.34 ± 1.44% fat content. Total phenolic content (TPC) was 178.76 ± 0.51 mg GAE/g dry basis, with a DPPH radical scavenging activity of 49.20 ± 5.66%. Encapsulation of olive oil within the jelly matrix reduced oxidative degradation over 50 days of storage, with peroxide values rising only from 5.00 to 6.00 meq/kg and acidity from 0.36% to 0.50%, compared to 6.25 meq/kg and 0.55% in free oil. These findings demonstrate that BCP-enriched jelly candies offer enhanced nutritional, functional, and oxidative stability properties while contributing to sustainable utilization of food industry byproducts.