Microbiological quality and sensory evaluation of partially dried mango for fruit salad, Kerabu Mangga

Kerabu Mangga is a fruit salad that is made from unripe matured mangoes. This salad is prepared fresh mixed with other ingredients. Since this salad has limited shelf life, the mango were dried at 60oC for one and two hours, then mixed with other ingredients in an attempt to make this salad has longer shelf life and readily available when mangoes are not in season. The effects of drying on water activity (aw), microbial load, shelf life of ‘Kerabu Mangga’ during storage at room (28 ± 2ºC) and chilled (5 ± 1ºC) temperatures as well as determination acceptance and nutrient compositions of the prepared ‘Kerabu Mangga’ were carried out. Drying treatment reduced the initial water activity (aw) of fresh mango from 0.994 to 0.953 and 0.874 after 1 and 2 h drying, respectively, and the microbial load was reduced (~ 0.6 log10 CFU/g) after drying treatments. Drying at 60°C affected significantly (p<0.05) the appearance and colour of the dried mango slices, without affecting the overall acceptability of the prepared Kerabu Mangga. Storage temperature affected significantly (p<0.05) the microbial load (Total Plate Count), where chiller storage took 10 days compared to 12 h for room temperature to reach spoilage to occur (normally at log10 6.00 CFU/g). For the nutrient compositions, only carbohydrate contents showed significant increased at (P<0.05), however, vitamin C content showed significant decreased (P<0.05). Drying for only 1 and 2 hours was found to be suitable for partially dried ‘Kerabu Mangga’ which resulted in negligible effect on its overall acceptance. Drying the mango slices at 60oC for 2 h resulted in longer shelf life than 1 h or without heat treatment.