Eastern Visayas State University

Tacloban City
College of Technology
Nutrition and Dietetics Depatment

ND 243 Fundamentals of Food Technology

Laboratory Report No. 8

Sugar Preservation

Date of Submission: May 13, 2024

Submitted by: Kate Zybelle B. Obero
Group Mmbers: Jed Nathan Aparri
Atchessa Cui Ynngzon
Lovely Rose Espanta
Jarlyn Acedillo
Mary Grace Borines
 SUGAR PRESERVATION
Introduction
For the past hundreds of years, various food preservation methods, such as freezing,
smoking and salting, had emerged in response to different calamities and occurrences, like
seasonal changes that affect food availability. Before, people have to put a lot of effort into
preserving foods, specifically fruits like mangoes. The mango is one the Philippines’ most
important fruit crops but it is seasonal, begins in March and ends in June, making it difficult
for consumers to get a hold of it the whole year round (Food PH Administrator, 2022).
Mangoes are not only tasty, they also contain good amount of vitamins and nutrients such as
Vitamin C, A, B6, fiber and may help support the body’s immune system (National Mango
Board, 2023). Food Data Central (2018), water content of a 100g mango reaches up to around
83.5g, making it extremely susceptible to microbial growth and spoilage.
Sugar preservation, one of the oldest food preservation method, uses sugar and other
additives in keeping the food edible for a long period of time. In the past, before the arrival of
sugarcane, Greeks and Romans used honey, a near-eternal preservative due to its low water
content, acidity and antibacterial components (Rupp, 2016). Then the transition from using
honey to sugar happened when sugar cane was introduced by the Indians. Sugar preservation
works via osmosis where the sugar attracts all water available in the food being preserved and
transfer it into the concentrated sugar syrup (FDNT 221: Principle of Preservation by Sugar,
n.d.). This action also dehydrates the existing microorganisms, inhibiting microbial
proliferation, thus preserving the food. In addition, sugar optimizes flavor and sensory
properties of the fruit preserves (What Is the Role of Sugar in Jam? | 5 Answers From
Research Papers, n.d.). Examples of sugar preserves include jam, jellies and marmalade. Jam
contains high pectin content, thus thicker consistency and made from crushed or ground fruit;
jelly is a clear, semisolid mixture of fruit juice and sugar that is firm enough to hold its shape;
marmalade is a jelly with citrus peel and juice (Making Jams, Marmalades, Preserves and
Conserves, n.d.). In the process of making jams, jellies or marmalades, sugar, acid and pectin
are mixed together, along with the fruit to create their jelling characteristics. Fruits naturally
contains pectin, a natural gelling agent, but others contain just small amount of it and acid
extracts it from fruit during gentle simmering, while sugar attracts water away from pectin,
both helps with gelling process (Science of Cooking: Pectin & Preserves | Exploratorium,
n.d.). In comparison to xanthan gum, which is also a thickening and stabilizer produced
through fermentation, it does not require other additives for it to thicken and create a stable
gel (Muhammad Hasnain, 2024).
With this, the activity aims to let the students know how to make jam, jelly and
marmalade from scratch, determine if there are changes in the general organoleptic properties
of the samples after adding additives, if the additives have overpowered the taste of the fruit
and if the moisture content have really decreased due to the added additives, lengthening their
shelf-life.
Material
The tools used for the activity were knives, chopping boards, bowls for preparation of
the raw mangoes, four small jars for packaging, pH meter, water activity meter and
hygrometer. The ingredients or materials, on the other hand, were ripe mango free of bruise
or cuts, xanthan gum as substitute to pectin, sugar and Kalamansi juice as substitute to citric
acid.
Methods
The activity started with purchasing ripe mangoes, not that ripe but still sweet to taste.
Next, ripe mangoes were cleaned and washed thoroughly with 30 ppm chlorinated water to
get rid of dust, pesticides and other possible contaminants. 30 ppm chlorinated water was
used in washing the ingredient to ensure further food safety of the food preserve. In addition,
30 ppm water is safe for consumption, thus a good water to use to wash the mangoes ensure
that no contaminants would remain on the mangoes’ surface. Then, mangoes were dried and
weighed to get its fresh weight before peeling, removing the seed and chopping them into
small cubes and then weighed again to get the sliced weight. Next, cubed mangoes were
placed on the pan and left to simmer until soften. The same process was done for the jelly but
water was added and then drained using a sifter to collect the juice of the mango.
In jam and jelly making, xanthan gum and sugar were added with the following
treatments:
Treatments Fruit:Sugar Xanthan gum
1 Jam 45%:55% No xanthan gum
2 Jam 45%:55% 0.3%
3 Jelly 45%:55% No xanthan gum
4 Jelly 45%:55% 0.3%

Then cooked with continuous stirring until the desired consistency was met with
temperatures at 103-105o. The temperature was monitored with the use of a laboratory
thermometer. Then stirring continued until the total soluble solids of 68% (jam) and 65%
(jelly) was met. While the desired TSS was achieved through adding sugar to the mixture.
The amount of sugar added was constantly adjusted until desired TSS was achieved. Next,
cold water test was conducted to test out the doneness of sugar within the treatment. Water
was poured in a container then added with ice for it to turn cold. Then, a small sample of each
were dropped, forming firm masses an indication that the treatments were ready for filling.
Once done, the pan was removed from the stove and added gradually with kalamansi juice, as
the acid, until the pH level had reached the range of 3.1 – 3.5. Next, the treatments were
cooled down to 60 to 70oC, while cooling, the small jars were sterilized in a big pot with a
temperature of 85oC for a few minutes.
Then, the jam and jelly were then filled into the sterilized jars leaving a headspace of
about one cm. The scum floating on the surface was then removed before completely sealing
off the jars. Next, the sealed jars were subjected to exhaustion and pasteurization through
water bath for 5 minutes for jelly and 15 minutes for jam with the temperatures at 82 – 85 oC,
then cooled. They were stored for 12 hours.
The parameters in the physico-chemical and sensory evaluation, such as the pH, water
activity (Aw) and total soluble solids (TSS), were described, focusing on the differences
between the products. Then the sensory evaluation was done using a 9-point hedonic scale,
with samples coded using three-digit random numbers and results were analyzed and
recorded.
Results
Table 1. Jam and Jelly Preparation
Chosen Fruit: Mango Ave TSS of fresh fruit: 16.67
Ingredients
Formulation Jam Jelly
Weight, g Percentage Weight, g Percentage
Ripe mango 330 g 43.90% 330 g 43.90%
Sugar 270 g 35.94% 270 g 35.94%
Xanthan gum 0.6 g 0.08% 0.6 g 0.08%
Kalamnsi extract 5 pcs 19.98% 5 pcs 19.98%
150 g 150 g
TOTAL 750.6 g 100% 750.6 g 100%

Initial Weight Jam 750.6 g Jelly 750.6 g

Reduced Weight Jam 405 g Jelly 405 g

Table 2. Cooking and Preparation

Treatments pH Adjusted pH TSS Adjusted TSS Cold Water
(if applicable) (if applicable) Test
1 3.16 - 62.1 - Firmed mass
were formed.
2 3.41 - 64.7 - Firmed mass
were formed.
3 4.49 - 70.1 - Firmed mass
were formed.
4 3.48 - 67.66 - Firmed mass
were formed.

Pasteurization Temperature: 85oC

Pasteurization Time Start: 6:25 PM Pasteurization Time Ends: 6:40 PM

Table 3. Evaluation
Physico-Chemical Characteristics
Parameters Readings Treatments
1 2 3 4
Trial 1 3.38 3.73 4.55 3.93
pH Trial 2 4.22 4.20 4.27 4.34
Trial 3 4.17 4.12 4.33 4.16
Ave 3.92 4.01 4.33 4.14
Trial 1 0.781 0.737 0.683 0.749
Aw Trial 2 0.783 0.716 0.829 0.740
Trial 3 0.779 0.722 0.226 0.743
Ave 0.784 0.715 0.829 0.744
 Trial 1 63.1 71.10 60.8 70.3
TSS Trial 2 65.3 72.5 58.7 70.0
Trial 3 64.0 72.1 59.7 68.7
Ave 64.13 71.9 59.7 69.66

Table 4. Sensory Evaluation

Differentiation/Discrimination
Treatment Color Aroma Viscosity Taste
Jam 1 Golden yellow Sweet High viscosity Sweet and fruity
Jam 2 Mustard yellow Sweet High viscosity Sweet and fruity
Jelly 1 Light yellow Sweet Low viscous Sweet
Jelly 2 Light yellow Sweet High viscosity Sweet

Table 5. Hedonic Rating

Treatment Mean Scores
Color Aroma Viscosity Taste Overall
Jam 1 8 8 8 9 8
Jam 2 9 9 8 9 9
Jelly 1 8 8 8 8 8
Jelly 2 8 7 7 8 7.5

Discussion
Sugar preservation involves the use of mainly sugar and other additives to preserve a
food while providing, not only prolonged shelf-life, but also sweet taste. Sugar is a
hygroscopic compound that works via osmosis where it attracts water the diffuses into the
food, thus the sweet taste. In this activity, the effectiveness of sugar in preservation mango
fruit was tested out through making jelly and jam out of raw ripe mango.
Ripe raw mangoes were used in this activity due to its soft and sweet flesh that was
easy to manipulate into making jam and jelly. It also has a very attractive color that enhances
its appearance. However, after being peeled and had the seed removed, from 750g, its weight
had plummeted to 405 g. The same amount of ingredients was added to the different
treatments but only the jelly was sifted to get only the juice as it should not contain any solids
from the fruit. As a substitute for pectin, xanthan gum was used but with the same amount as
to what was originally stated, but compared to pectin, xanthan gum was known as a good
thickener that creates stable gel even without the use of other additives. In the process of
making jams and jellies, sugar, acid and pectin are mixed together, along with the fruit to
create their jelling characteristics. Fruits naturally contains pectin, a natural gelling agent, but
others contain just small amount of it and acid or kalamnsi juice extracts it from the fruit
during gentle simmering, while sugar attracts water away from pectin, both helps with gelling
process. However, adding too much acid results jam and jelly to become runny, far from the
desired consistency that is neither runny nor completely solid. Meanwhile, adding too much
sugar affects the taste of the jam and jelly as the sweetness overpowers the mango taste.
 Treatments one (jam) and three (jelly) were not added with xanthan gum, resulting to
softer and looser consistency as there was no thickener added to the mixture. The jelly and
jam have the consistency that of water where the jelly appears normal clear, flowy juice in
the absence of xantham gum. In addition, even though, the fruit already contains pectin, and
was added with sugar and kalamansi juice, it was not enough to create the desired consistency
that a jelly or jam should have. Whereas, treatments two (jam) and four (jelly), appeared
thicker than the other two treatments as they were added with 0.8% xanthan gum. Xantham
gum helped or enhances the capacity of pectin within the fruit to create the perfect
consistency of the jam and jelly. The jam and jelly appear with a more solid or highly viscous
consistency due to the fact that there was xanthan gum added.
The pH level of jams and jellies should only range from 3.1 – 3.5, optimum of 3.3 as
it is typically the optimum range for gel formation. The pH level in jam and jelly making is
very crucial as this determines that capacity of the mixture of form a gel or thicken and
rigidity of the gel. Poor gel formation occurs at pH above 3.5, while pH level below 3.0 leads
to hard gel, prone to syneresis or weeping. Before pasteurizing, the treatments have showed
pH levels ranging from 3.1 to 4.5 where treatment one has 3.16 pH level, treatment two with
3.41, treatment three with 4.49, and treatment four with 3.48, showing that the kalamansi
juice have different effects on the treatments. This shows that three out of four treatments
were strong acid, while the remaining one was weak acid. Meanwhile, the Total Soluble
Solids or TSS which measures the sweetness or sugar content in fruits and other liquid
solutions. It is also an important parameter of sugar quality and determining consumer
preference. So far, all TSS results were inside the range of 65% to 68% TSS, where treatment
one has 62.1 TSS, treatment two with 64.7, treatment three with 70.1 and treatment four
67.66. Among the four treatments, treatment three has the largest TSS, even in the absence of
xanthan gum, an indication that it has the highest sugar content and far sweeter than the rest.
The reason behind this could be related to the part of mango used. To elaborate more, the
mangoes in treatment four could be from the outer flesh or parts of the mango containing
sweeter or riper flesh. As for the cold-water test, by which all treatments have formed firmed
mass, an indication that all of them had passed the test and ready for filling. Col-water test is
used to test out if the preserve is ready for filling based on their consistency and form a solid
mass when dropped into cold water.
Physico-chemical characteristics of jam and jelly were measured after subjecting the
treatments to water bath. There show changes in pH level as three out of four treatments had
increased, while the remaining one had dropped. This is because the pH level of a solution is
inversely proportional to the temperature. Treatments one, two and four showed increased
pH from their original pH level before water bath, an indication that the heat had lower the
acidity of the treatments, resulting them to become weak acid. Meanwhile, treatment three
had increased pH level during the first trial, then decreased on the second and third trial. As
for the water activity or Aw, which is one cause of food spoilage, there shows a variety of
results. Treatment one showed results of 0.781, 0.783 and 0.779, which indicates that its Aw
had decreased. Treatment two with 0.737, 0.716 and 0.722; treatment three with 0.683, 0.829
and 0.226, a sudden decrease of Aw; finally, treatment four with 0.749, 0.740 and 0.743. All
treatments have shown a decrease in Aw which indicates that the sugar had greatly helped
with preserving of jams and jellies. It was able to absorb majority of the moisture through
osmosis in the sugar preserves, resulting to longer shelf life and sweeter taste. In addition,
treatments one and three have lower Aw than the two remaining treatments even in the
absence of xanthan gum that could have contributed to the preservation ability of sugar. The
Total Soluble Solid of treatments, on the other hand, had shown various results indicating the
effect of adding xanthan gum. Treatments one and three had shown lower TSS due to the
absence of xanthan gum, whereas treatments two and four had increased TSS. This shows
that the presence of xanthan gum had greatly contributed to the increase in TSS, thus higher
possibility of lengthy shelf-life of the said sugar preserves.
Sensory evaluation uses all the senses of the human body and is an important method
in getting accurate and direct measurements or data to fully understand the preference of
individuals. Data from this contributes to food research department, production and
innovation. Based on the results, jams one and two had retained their rich golden and mustard
yellow color even after undergoing through various processes. This is because jams still have
their flesh included, thus the mustard and golden yellow color. They also smelled sweet, have
high viscosity even though only one of them have xanthan gum, and they also tasted sweet
and fruity. The fruity taste comes from the fruit flesh within the jam. The jams, on the other
hand, have light yellow color due to containing only the fruit juice, rather than with the flesh
as it was sifted in the first steps of jelly making. They also have sweet aroma and taste, but
one of them have low viscosity due to the absence of xanthan gum, compared to the other that
has high viscosity.
The 9-point hedonic scale is the most widely used scale for consumer acceptance
testing globally. The results have shown the almost same high ratings, ranging from seven to
nine, which is an indication that the majority of respondents liked the general organoleptic
properties of the treatments. It shows that despite the absence of xanthan gum, the
respondents were still in favor for jam two, indicating its highest rating among the other
treatments. Jelly two, on the other hand, had shown the lowest rating among the others due to
its extremely loose consistency like that of water, giving it unfavorable organoleptic
properties. Fortunately, the both treatments have shown good results on their general
organoleptic properties.
Conclusion
Sugar preservation is an important and extremely effective method in ensuring
lengthy shelf-life of a product. In addition, it does not only lengthen self-life, but also
enhances the organoleptic properties, particularly providing sweet taste to the product. In this
laboratory activity that we conducted, we found out that there is still a science behind jam
and jelly making such as the reaction between xanthan gum, kalamansi juice and sugar in
gelling formation and maintaining a good gel quality. In addition, we also determined the
temperature by which affects the pH levels of all treatments. It was also determined the real
effect of sugar to Aw as it was shown that as the trials were conducted, the Aw keeps on
getting lower and lower. It shows that sugar really decreases Aw in food products subjected
to sugar preservation.
This activity shed light on the real mechanisms and processes behind how sugar
preservation really works. It was an enjoyable experience that we had witnessed the
effectiveness of sugar in preserving our mango fruit, as well as enhancing its general
organoleptic properties.
Questions to answer:
1. What are Total Soluble Solids (TSS) and their significance in sugar preservation?
2. What is the mechanism of action of pectin in hame and jelly making?
3. What is the significance of pH of the mixture?
4. What is scum, and why is it need to be removed?

References
FDNT 221: Principle of Preservation by Sugar. (n.d.). pH level

http://ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in/mod/page/view.php?id=19506

Rupp, R. (2016). Jam: Chemistry and cool in a jar. Culture.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/jam

National Mango Board. (2023). Mango nutritional information & Benefits | National Mango

Board. Mango.org. https://www.mango.org/mango-nutrition/

FoodData Central. (n.d.).

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169910/nutrients

Muhammad Hasnain. (2024). How to substitute xanthan gum for pectin in jam making.

Discover Real Food in Texas.

https://discover.texasrealfood.com/swap-and-savor/how-to-substitute-xanthan-gum-

for-pectin-in-jam-making#:~:text=By%20replacing%20pectin%20with

%20xanthan,quality%20in%20the%20final%20product.

What is the role of sugar in jam? | 5 Answers from Research papers. (n.d.). SciSpace -

Question. https://typeset.io/questions/what-is-the-role-of-sugar-in-jam-2t593izmkn

Group 4 Member Contribution:

 Kate Zybelle B, Obero – Sugar preservation and Food Dehydration
 Jed Nathan Aparri – Canning of food (Water immersion retort) and Food
Dehydration
 Atchessa Cui Ynngzon – Salting and Curing
 Lovely Rose Espanta – Fermentation and Pickling
 Jarlyn Acedillo – Processing by Removal of Heat
 Mary Grace Borines – Food Packaging