IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1

Research article
erd

Evaluation of the Acceptability of Cashew Apple Jam in
Cambodia
SOKLY SORM
Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, JapanYOSHIKI MURAMATSU*
Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan
Email: y-murama@nodai.ac.jp

DAIKI OKATokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, JapanYURI TANIKOKATokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan

MASATAKA UCHINOTokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, JapanSHUKI MURAMATSU
Showa Women’s University, Tokyo, Japan

MOTOE SEKIDO
Yamanashi Gakuin Junior College, Yamanashi, Japan

TAKAHIKO NAKAMURATokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, JapanTORU NAKAJIMATokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, JapanEIICHIRO SAKAGUCHITokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, JapanSHOTARO KAWAKAMITokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, JapanCHIM CHAY
Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

MARI ARIMITSU
Institute of Environmental Rehabilitation and Conservation, Tokyo, Japan

MACHITO MIHARATokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan
Received 24 December 2020

Accepted 16 May 2021

Ⓒ ISERD35(*Corresponding Author)

IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the acceptability of cashew apple jams based on asensory evaluation test in Cambodia. Sensory evaluation tests for 2 types of cashew apple jams
were conducted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and in Setagaya, Japan, in September 2019 for 70persons. The jam raw materials were cashew apple, sugar, low-methoxyl pectin, and citric acid.
These materials were mixed, dissolved, condensed, and prepared to 50 °Brix sugar content
while heating to approximately 80°C. The jam heated to 80°C was filled in a glass bottle. We
called this sample a hot-pack jam. The hot-pack jam was reheated at 90°C for 20 min in asterilization process. After 20 min, the jam was kept at room temperature for cooling withsterilization. We called the sample with the sterilization procedure a reheated jam. The color,sweetness, acidity, taste, flavor, jelly state, smoothness, and overall score of each sample wereevaluated using a five-point hedonic scale (1: hate, 2: dislike, 3: neutral, 4: like, and 5: like verymuch) in the sensory test. The hot-pack and reheated jams were tested by 40 panelists of
Cambodian students and faculty members at the Royal University of Agriculture, Cambodia(RUA), and Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan (TUA). Thirty citizens evaluated only
reheated jam at a supermarket in Phnom Penh. Almost all panelists answered that the reheatedjam was sweeter than the hot-pack jam. Because the scores of both jams given by panelists
ranged from 3 to 4, the cashew apple jam was considered to be acceptable and had a possibility
to become a new processed food in Cambodia.
Keywords cashew apple, jam, sensory evaluation, acceptability

INTRODUCTION
New processed food made from local sites is expected to increase income for farmers and support theirindependence. The cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) is originally from Brazil and is also cultivatedin tropical areas (Honorato and Rodrigues, 2010; Oliveira et al., 2020). The cashew nut is a part of thecashew fruit, which contains an edible pedicel called the cashew apple (Janick and Paull, 2008).
In Cambodia, the cashew plant is an industrial crop. The total yield of cashew nuts was 136,094
tons in 2018, and the largest cultivation areas in Cambodia were the provinces of Kampong Thom(58,624 ha), Ratanakiri (30,459 ha), Kratie (27,761 ha), and Kampong Cham (24,364 ha) (MAFF/GDA,2018). However, only cashew nuts are commercialized; and the rest of the cashew fruits (cashewapples) become wastes. Providing a way to utilize cashew apple will support the economy of theagricultural industry. The cashew apple is rich in vitamin C (five times more than that in oranges) andminerals and is good for health (Akinwale, 2000). The cashew apple exhibits antibacterial properties,
treating gastritis and ulcers in the stomach and preventing scurvy (Melo et al., 2003). Cashew apples
can be eaten fresh, cooked in curries, used for fermented vinegar, consumed as alcoholic andnonalcoholic drinks, and used to make preserved food, chutneys, and jam (Ogunsina et al., 2008).
Codex Alimentarius International Food Standards (CXS 296-2009, 2017) reported that jam is theproduct brought to a suitable consistency, made from the whole fruit, pieces of fruit, unconcentrated
and/or concentrated fruit pulp or fruit puree. Jam is made of one or more fruits and is mixed withfoodstuffs with sweetening properties with or without water. There are many reports about methods ofpreparing jam from various fruits and their sensorial attributes. Ajenifujah-Solebo et al. (2011)
examined the possibility of producing jam from black plums and evaluated its physicochemical
properties, nutritional properties, and consumer acceptability. Ho et al. (2020) studied the proximate
composition, physicochemical characteristics, and sensory evaluation of reduced-calorie belimbi fruit(Averrhoa belimbi) jam with maltitol.
The appropriate procedure for processing fruit and making jam is different from the characteristics
of using fruit. Jam in this study is processed from cashew apple pulp, sugar, low-methoxyl (LM) pectin,and citric acid. Some jam products are sold in Cambodia, but they do not appear to be common,Ⓒ ISERD

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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1

especially for local Khmer. Sensory evaluation is necessary to grasp whether a new cashew apple jam
is preferred in Cambodia.
In this study, we investigated the acceptability of cashew apple jams based on a sensory evaluationin Cambodia. The sensory analysis of two types of cashew apple jams was conducted in Phnom Penh,Cambodia, in September 2019 with 70 persons. The jam is a gelled ready-to-eat product and has many
uses, for example, bread, milk-product, sweets, and so on. The jam is easy to make without the needfor any special devices and skills. The jam also can keep at room temperature. Therefore, we conducted
the sensory evaluation of the cashew apple jam.
OBJECTIVE
The objectives of this study were 1) to survey Cambodian citizens regarding the sensory evaluation ofcashew apple jams and 2) to evaluate the acceptability for the sensory characteristics for cashew apple
jams.
METHODOLOGY
Materials and Product Process of Jam
Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) fruit (cashew apple and nut) was purchased in Kampong Cham
Province, Cambodia, and was stored in a refrigerator at approximately -18 °C until processing into
jams. The cashew apple jam was made from 400 g of cashew apple paste, 300 g of sugar, 3.4 g of LM
pectin, and 2.4 g of citric acid. Fig. 1 shows the production process of 2 types of cashew apple jams.
Frozen cashew
fruit

Pretreatment

Cashew applepaste
Sugar 100 g

Water 100 g
Sugar 100 g
LM Pectin 3.4 g

AddHeat dissolution

Hot pack jam

Citric acidAdd 2 times

Boiling

Sterilization(90 °C, 20 min)Add

Boil until 50 °BX

Filling(Fill while hot)

CoolingReheated jam(Room temperature)

Fig. 1 Product process of 2 types of cashew apple jams: a hot-pack jam and a reheated jam
In the pretreatment of cashew apple paste, the frozen cashew fruit was thawed at room
temperature. Then, the seed (cashew nut) and peer were removed from the cashew apple. The peeled
fruit pulp (cashew apple) was crushed with a food processor for 2-3 min because there was substantial
fiber in the pulp, and it did not fall apart even when boiled. During heat dissolution, LM pectin wasmixed in 100 g of sugar in advance and dissolved in 100 g of boiling water. As pectin is difficult todissolve in water, it must be mixed with sugar beforehand. After heat dissolution, 400 g of cashewⒸ ISERD37IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1

apple paste was added to the sugar and LM pectin solution. Keeping boiling this mixture, 100 g ofsugar was added to this mixture twice. The boiling process took a total of 6-10 min. This mixture wasboiled and concentrated up to 50 °Brix. After stopping heating, citric acid dissolved in a small amountof water was added to this concentrate. While hot, the jam was filled into a glass bottle up to 3-5 mmfrom the bottle lid. After closing the lid of the bottle, the bottle was turned upside down. We call thissample “hot-pack jam” in this manuscript. The hot-pack jam was sterilized for 20 min in hot water at atemperature of 90°C. We call the jam with the additional sterilization process “reheated jam”. Aftersterilization, the reheated jam was cooled to room temperature.
Fig. 2 shows photographs of the hot-pack and reheated jams. Each bottle contained 90 g of jam.
Considering the sanitary conditions in Cambodia, the sterilization process was added to the hot-packjam. As a result, as shown in Fig. 2, the browning phenomenon occurred in the reheated jam. The
component composition of these jams was the following: moisture, 47.1%; protein, 0.40%; fat, 0.1%;
ash, 0.2%; carbohydrate, 52.3% (sugar, 50.6%; dietary fiber, 1.7%).

Reheated

Hot-pack

Fig. 2 The hot-pack and reheated jams
Sensory Evaluation
Sensory evaluation plays an important role in assessing the acceptance of new food products andpreferences for different consumers (Banaś et al., 2018). The color, sweetness, acidity, taste, flavor,
jelly state, smoothness, and overall score of each sample were evaluated using a five-point hedonic
scale (1: hate, 2: dislike, 3: neutral, 4: like, and 5: like very much) at the sensory test (preference type).
The hot-pack and reheated jams were tested by 40 panelists consisting of Cambodian students andfaculty members at the Royal University of Agriculture, Cambodia (RUA), and Tokyo University ofAgriculture, Japan (TUA). These panelists are represented as the RUA group in this research. Thirty
citizens evaluated only reheated jam at a supermarket in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The time and spacefor sensory evaluation of jam were limited in this case. The reheated jam received favorable evaluation
results in the RUA group. The reheated jam is safer than the hot-pack jam. Therefore, only reheatedjam was evaluated at the supermarket. The panelist ages of the RUA group and citizens were 19-55
years (average: 22) and 18-64 years (average: 27), respectively.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The sensory evaluation results of both cashew apple jams from the RUA group are represented in Fig.
3. The average scores of sensory evaluation items for the hot-pack jam and the reheated jam ranged
from 2.7-3.0 and 3.3-3.9, respectively. The reheated jam had higher scores than the hot-pack jam
except for the color. The average values of all evaluation items for the hot-pack and reheated jams
were tested for differences between population means (paired t-test), and there was a significant
difference (5% significance level) between all items, except for acidity. Although the average value ofⒸ ISERD38

IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1

the color for the reheated jam was 3.3, this value was lower than that for the hot-pack jam (3.7). The
occurrence of the browning phenomenon in the reheated jam affected this result. The average scores of
the reheated jam were higher than those of the hot-pack jam except for the color. Because the score of
the reheated jam for color was over 3: neutral, we considered that the color of the hot-pack jam wasmore favorable than that of the reheated jam but not unacceptable in the RUA group. The average
sweetness, taste, and overall evaluation scores for the reheated jam were nearly 4.0, and the reheated
jam received a high evaluation from the RUA group, which means that the reheated jam was morefavorable. This result indicates that the addition of heat to the cashew apple jam after filling in thebottles influenced the final product characteristics and sensorial acceptance.

Fig. 3 Sensory evaluation results of the hot-pack and reheated jams in the RUA group
Fig. 4 shows the sensory evaluation results of the reheated jam from citizens, with a comparison
to the results for the RUA group. The average score of the sensory evaluation items by the citizens
ranged from 3.3 to 4.0, which was higher than that for the RUA group. Compared to the RUA group,
the citizens highly evaluated the color of the reheated jam, and there was a significant difference (5%significance level) between the evaluation results of the color for both groups. A t-test for differences
between population means for each evaluation item of the reheated jam (significance level of 5%)
showed no significant differences between citizens and the RUA group, except for color. The averagescore of the overall evaluation for citizens was 4.0, and citizens also gave the reheated jam highevaluation scores.
Almost all panelists answered that the reheated jam was sweeter than the hot-pack jam. One of thepossible reasons for this result is that the sweetness of the reheated jam increased because the sourness
decreased due to volatilization caused by heating (sterilization). The cost of cashew apple jam made inJapan will be approximately 80 Japanese yen, including the glass container and the lid, based on theassumption that cashew apples can be obtained for free, the loss of materials and/or products during
processing is negligible, and 600 units of jam (100 g per container) per 1 batch can be made. Because
RUA group and citizens gave relatively high evaluation of the hot-pack jam and reheated jam, theseⒸ ISERD

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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2021) 12-1

cashew apple jams were acceptable and had the possibility to become new processed foods inCambodia. The sweeter jam was preferred in Cambodia. For improved food safety, we recommend
adding sterilization to the jam-making process. The potential of cashew apples in jam making, productdevelopment, reduction of postharvest losses, creation of job opportunities, and so on would contributeto Cambodia's development.

Fig. 4 Comparison of the sensory evaluation results of the reheated jam between the RUA
group and 30 citizens
CONCLUSION
A sensory evaluation test of two types of cashew apple jams was conducted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia,
in September 2019 with 70 persons. During the production of the hot-pack jam, the jam’s raw materials
were mixed, dissolved, condensed, and prepared to 50 °Brix sugar content while heating up toapproximately 80 °C, and this jam heated to 80°C was filled in a glass bottle. Another jam, i.e.,reheated jam, included a sterilization procedure to the hot-pack jam preparation process. The color,sweetness, acidity, taste, flavor, jelly state, smoothness, and overall score of each sample wereevaluated using a five-point hedonic scale (1: hate, 2: dislike, 3: neutral, 4: like, and 5: like very much)for the sensory test (preference type). Both jams were evaluated relatively highly by the 70 panelists.
The cashew apple jams were acceptable and had the possibility becoming new processed foods inCambodia. Such a development will reduce postharvest losses, which have been a challenge toCambodia's food technologists, as well as help create job opportunities and contribute to Cambodia'sdevelopment.
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