A STUDY OF INCORPORATION OF THERAPEUTIC VALUES OF WOOD APPLE (FERONIA LIMONIA SWINGLE) IN FRUIT BAR

The wood apple (Feronia limonia), called as elephant apple, has several medicinal properties. It is antiscorbic (prevent scurvy), a disease caused by lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). It is an antidote for poison and also helps in curing sore throat. The objective of the study was to incorporate medicinal properties of wood apple in fruit bar, a well accepted food product. The fruit bar was prepared by using different proportions of wood apple and mango. Fruit bars were analyzed for chemical composition at monthly interval of one month storage at room temperature (16-35°C). Increasing trend in carbohydrate, acidity, TSS and reducing sugar was observed where as decrease in ascorbic acid, pH and total sugar was noted throughout the storage period. Organoleptic qualities of wood apple mango blended bar (50:50) were evaluated in comparison with control sample (wood apple fruit bar). The results on sensory parameters indicated that blended bar was superior in most of the quality attributes. Storage upto six months could be possible with wood apple mango bar and the results showed that the product remained safe microbiologically during storage and acceptable after 6 months of storage and no appreciable change was observed. It was found that the medicinal properties of wood apple can be consumed by the consumer by consuming fruit bar.