Philippine Berry into Jelly, Jam and juice -Part 1

Processing of Philippine Berry into jelly jam and juice

By: Dr. Edith G. Reyes , Cavite State University

A protocol on processing of the Philippine berry or lipote scientifically known as Syzygium curranni (C.B. Rob.), was developed by the author at the Cavite State University and presented in a paper entitled “Acceptability of Indigenous Philippine Berry As An Entrepreneurial Product.”

 The phases of the protocol include: 1, selection and development of appropriate technologies for processing of lipote into food products, 2, sensory evaluation of the finished products, 3, determination of chemical properties and , 4, consumer evaluation of the products

Selection and Development of Appropriate Technologies

In the selection and development of appropriate technologies, two guideposts were considered, namely: 1, identification of fruit, of which materials required for processing are pectin, acid, sugar and water, and 2, application of food preparation method most appropriate to the material being studied. Quality berries were characterized as black, mature, ripe, free from defects  and showed no signs of infestation. Prior to processing and development of products, the berries were prepared following the procedure below:

Sorting the berries according to the degree of ripeness. Only medium-ripe berries were used; 

Washing the berries thoroughly in running water;

 Draining the freshly washed berries; 

Weighing the berries; 

Boiling the berries to extract the juice;

 Removing the seeds; Extracting the juice;

 Weighing the juice

 The selected processing methods were those for making jams, jellies and juice. These were explored to illustrate the versatility of lipote as a raw material for food processing. The standard procedures and recipes for processing guava and duhat were applied (Perlado, undated). All products/samples were prepared using sugar as preservative at a ratio of 1 part raw material to 1.5 parts sugar. The procedure in the preparation of processed lipote is as follows:

 Lipote Juice

Wash and sort the ripe lipote fruit.

Weigh the fruits.  Add water half of its weight. Use a similar ratio for volume measure.

Simmer the fruits in water for 15 minutes.  Preferably use a double broiler to maintain simmering temperature.

Extract juice by using muslin bag.

Measure the juice , and then add sugar, citric acid and sodium benzoate.

Mix thoroughly.

Pour in sterilized container.

Pasteurize for 30 minutes.

Seal tightlyAllow juice to cool.

Label the product.

Store under room temperature.

Lipote Jelly
Choose fresh, black, mature ripe lipote fruits rich in pectin and if possible, also acid. Fruits with high pectin content such as guava, santol, and tamarind usually have very distinct flavor.
 Wash thoroughly in running water.

 Simmer the fruit in water until tender (about 10-15 minutes) to dissolve the acid and pectin. Amount of water to be used depends on the fruit’s juiciness. In general, pour just enough water to cover hard fruit in the pan. In this case one part lipote to one part water is suggested.

 Strain the pulp; scald the jelly bag with boiling water and pour the cooked pulp into the bag and allow it to drain, twisting the open end of the bag tightly but without forcing the pulpy bits to come out. Ideally, it is wise to allow the pulp to strain without squeezing if a clear jelly is required. 

Cook until thick consistency is achieved. Test for jelly. Put water in a glass and pour small amounts of jelly.  If jelly is formed, it is already cooked and ready for packing. 

Fill into sterilized containers. 

Seal tightly.

 Allow jelly to cool. 

Label the product.

 Store under room temperature.

Lipote jam

Select firm slightly under ripe fresh lipote fruits.
Fruits rich in pectin and acid are preferred. 
Weigh the fruit.
 Wash thoroughly in running water.
 Remove seeds and weigh again.
 Add 1.5 parts sugar to 1 part lipote.
 Cook  until thick consistency is achieved. 
Fill into sterilized containers.
 Pasteurize for 30 minutes. 
Exhausts for 15 minutes. 
Seal tightly. Label the product.
 Store  at room temperature.

 source:MARID Agribusiness, 2005