IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2022) 13-2

Research article
erdSensory Evaluation of Dried Fettuccine Pasta Enriched withGotu Kola Centella asiatica
CHARLENE EVE L. SALIGUMBA*Bohol Island State University Main Campus, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines
Email: charleneeve.saligumba@bisu.edu.ph

JEAN F. NEBREA
Bohol Island State University Main Campus, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines
Received 28 February 2022

Accepted 13 June 2022(*Corresponding Author)

Abstract The use of gotu kola in food and beverages has increased over the years due to itsbeneficial and nutritional properties. The intent of this study is for the public utilization of
the gotu kola and its improvement. It further investigates the sensory evaluation of driedfettuccine pasta enriched with gotu kola Centella asiatica among the three treatments interms of aroma, color, taste and texture and to determine if there was a significant
difference among the three treatments. This study used the experimental-descriptive
research design employing a self-made modified questionnaire as a main tool in gathering
the data through 4-point modified Hedonic scale for the level of liking. The data gathered
were tabulated using the weighted mean and ANOVA to determine the significant
difference in the respondent’s liking among the three treatments. There was a total of 85
respondents composed of 55 selected food technology experts (25 instructors handling foodtechnology and food related subjects and 30 students taking Master of Arts in Teaching
Vocational Education major in Food Technology) and 30 consumers. The findings revealed
that treatment 3 was “like very much” while, treatments 1 and 2 were “like moderately”.
The result showed there was a significant difference in the level of liking of the driedfettucine pasta in three treatments. Thus, the researcher recommended to utilize gotu kola asa potential ingredient to enrich the pasta for possible income generating project forextension activities.
Keywords gotu kola, sensory evaluation, fettucine pasta

INTRODUCTION
Filipinos are known to be passionate food lovers; they always search for those good snacks where it
is delicious and healthy. Herbs hit it perfectly! These luscious leaves-parsley, mint, oregano, gotu
kola and the like- not only add enticing aroma, fresh flavor and vivid green color to food but also
have remarkable health benefits (Krieger, 2017).
In the Philippines, manufacturers of food use herbs in their production that turns the foodmore appealing and nutritious. One example of herbs present in this country is the Gotu Kola witha scientific name Centella asiatica. Gotu Kola is a small, slender, umbelliferous creeping plant. Itacts as an alternative tonic, an agent which produces gradual beneficial change in the body, usuallyby improving nutrition, without having any marked specific effect and without causing strange
clearing. Gotu Kola also prevents anxiety and stress which boost immune system (Stuart Jr., 2017).
It has been proven to have many benefits in the body. It helps boost cognitive function, treat
Alzheimer’s disease, helps reduce anxiety and stress, acts as an antidepressant, improves
circulation and reduce swelling, helps ease insomnia, helps reduce appearance of stretch marks,
promotes wound healing, and minimize scarring, helps relieve joint pain and have a detox effect(Wilson, 2017).
According to Pharmacological Review on Centella asiatica: A Potential Herb Cure-all (2010)
proved that gotu kola has been used as medicinal herbs since it does not contain any caffeine andⒸ ISERD26

IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2022) 13-2

has not been shown to have stimulant properties. In this view, this study is optimistic to pursue inmaking something new out of the gotu kola to extend its importance as a medicinal herb and, at thesame time, remedial snack food. But, more importantly, the intent of this study is also to catch theattention of the public that is averse to herbs. That is why pasta is to be made mixed with a prime
substantial gotu kola.
OBJECTIVE
The study primarily aims to create a new variety of dried fettuccine pasta enriched with gotu kolawhich is abundant in the locality and this will be assessed to determine its sensory evaluation interms of aroma, color, taste and texture.
METHODOLOGY
The study was an experimental and descriptive research using Single-group design in which it
involves a single treatment with two or more levels. The experimental design was used indetermining the different formulations in order to come up with a quality result of the study as tothe sensory attributes of dried fettucine pasta enriched with gotu kola. While the descriptive design
with the aid of questionnaire using the modified 4-point Hedonic scale to investigate the sensory
attributes and level of liking in terms of aroma, color, taste and texture and the shelf life of thethree treatments which vary in the measurement of blended gotu kola. In harvesting the gotu kola,
the researcher is careful enough to select the finest leaves both young and mature leaves together
with its stem since they contain vital nutrients. The researcher got the gotu kola source at Loon,
Bohol in which it is where the gotu kola herbs can be found in a domesticated area where it is amoist place and safe environment. After gathering the herbs, the researcher bought the otheringredients in the local market. And prepare the needed ingredients, tools, materials, and equipment
in making the dried fettuccine pasta. The ingredients were separated and measured accurately withthe proper use of tools and equipment. All the tools and equipment used were cleaned, sanitized
and in good condition. The researcher formulated the recipes in three treatments; Treatment 1 is thepasta with 25 grams of fresh gotu kola, Treatment 2 is the pasta with 50 grams of fresh Gotu Kola,
Treatment 3 is the pasta with 75 grams of fresh Gotu Kola.
The study was conducted at six BISU Campuses namely: BISU Main Campus, Balilihan
Campus, Bilar Campus, Calape Campus, Candijay Campus, and Clarin Campus. The purposive
sampling method was used to determine the participants. It involved 85 respondents composed of55 selected food technology experts (25 instructors handling food technology and food related
subjects and 30 students taking Master of Arts in Teaching Vocational Education major in FoodTechnology) and 30 consumers.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In observing the shelf life of dried fettuccine pasta enriched with gotu kola, the researcher used twoways to identify the shelf life of the dried fettuccine pasta. The researcher put the pasta in sealed
food containers and placed it in a refrigerator and a room to test how many days the pasta lasted inrefrigerated and room temperature condition.
Table 1 reflects the shelf life of dried fettuccine pasta enriched with gotu kola in three (3)treatments. As illustrated in Table 1 in refrigerated condition, from day 1 to day 2, the threetreatments were no changes occurred and were safe for human consumption. However, on day 3changes occurred as to its aroma, color and texture. Aroma became unpleasant, texture became softand lighter color. Therefore, on day 3, all three treatments were spoiled and not safe for foodconsumption.

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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2022) 13-2

Table 1 Shelf life of dried fettuccine pasta with enriched gotu kolain refrigerated condition
Number of days

Treatment

Day 1-2

T1

No changes occurred

T2

No changes occurred

T3

No changes occurred

Day 3
Unpleasant aroma, lighter color, and not safe forfood consumption
Unpleasant aroma, lighter color, and not safe forfood consumption
Unpleasant aroma, lighter color, and not safe forfood consumption

Table 2 Shelf life of dried fettuccine pasta with enriched gotu kolain room temperature condition
Treatment
T1
T2
T3

Number of weeksWeek 1-2
No changes
occurred
No changes
occurred
No changes
occurred

Week 3
Lighter color
Lighter color
No changes
occurred

Week 4
Lighter color andmilder aroma

Week 5
Molds appeared and no longer
safe for consumption

Lighter colorand
milder aroma
Lighter color andmilder aroma

Molds appeared and no longer
safe for consumption
Molds appeared and no longer
safe for consumption

Another way to get the shelf life of the dried fettuccine pasta enriched with gotu kola is inroom temperature condition. As shown in Table 2 in room temperature condition, from day 1-2week, the three treatments were no changes occurred. However, on week 3, the researcher observedthat the color of the treatment 1- 25 grams of gotu kola as well as the treatment 2- 50 grams of gotu
kola slightly faded and lighter. But for treatment 3- 75 grams of gotu kola, the color remained andthere were no changes occurred. On week 4, the observation of the three treatments was lighter
color and milder. Lastly on week 5, the three treatments, has molds appeared and no longer safe forconsumption. The measurements of gotu kola added to the pasta, were one of the factors thataffected the shelf life of the pasta. In room temperature condition, the three treatments got damaged
on week 5. But in refrigerated condition it was easily damaged on the 3rd day. Thus, the lesser theblended fresh gotu kola, the longer its shelf life. The more the blended fresh gotu kola, the earlier
to spoil.
Table 3 Nutrition facts analysis of dried fettuccine pasta enriched with gotu kola
Analysis

T1

T2

T3

Crude ash, g/100g

1.22

1.11

1.50

Crude fat, g/100g

3.80

3.82

3.41

Moisture, g/100g

14.9

12.6

14.8

Crude Protein, g/100g

13.6

14.0

13.2

Carbohydrates, g/100g

66.5

68.5

67.1

Calories, cal/100g

355364352

Table 3 shows the nutritional facts analysis of the dried fettuccine pasta enriched with gotu
kola among the three treatments. In order to get the nutritional value of the three treatments, theresearcher submitted the required sample size to First Analytical Services and TechnicalCooperatives (F.A.S.T) Laboratories. They identified the basic requirement of the Food and Drugs
Administration (FDA) which is moisture, ash, fat, protein, calories, and carbohydrates. The result
implies that in every 100 grams of each treatment, it contains adequate energy and nutrients for themaintenance of health and well-being of people (Das, 2011).
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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2022) 13-2

Table 4 Sensory attributes of dried fettuccine pasta enriched with gotu kolain terms of aroma, color, taste and texture
Sensory attributes
Aroma
Color
Taste
TextureMode2232

Treatment 1
Description
Slightly PleasantLight GreenDistinctive
Slightly Firm

Mode3333

Treatment 2
Description
Pleasant
Green
Distinctive
Firm

Mode3434

Treatment 3
Description
Pleasant
Dark Green
Distinctive
Very Firm

Table 4 displays the result of the sensory attributes of the study in terms of aroma, color, tasteand texture. In terms of aroma, it depicts the lesser gotu kola is mixed to the product, the less it
perceives the odor of the gotu kola added to the pasta. In terms of color, it shows that the moreamount of gotu kola added to the pasta, the nicer its color and appearance would be. On the otherhand, in terms of taste, the more gotu kola added to the pasta, the more unique its taste would be.
Lastly, in terms of texture, the more gotu kola added to the pasta, the more tender and “al dente”
the pasta would be, if cooked.
Table 5 Level of liking of dried fettuccine pasta enriched with gotu kola
Sensory
attributes
Aroma
Color
Taste
Texture
AWM

WM
3.12
2.98
2.86
2.87
2.96

Treatment 1
Description
Like Moderately
Like Moderately
Like Moderately
Like Moderately
Like Moderately

Treatment 2
DescriptionLike Moderately
Like Moderately
Like Moderately
Like Very Much
Like Moderately

WM
3.15
3.20
3.11
3.25
3.18

WM
3.07
3.33
3.39
3.40
3.30

Treatment 3Description
Like Moderately
Like Very Much
Like Very Much
Like Very Much
Like Very Much

Table 5 reveals that treatment 3 got the highest average weighted mean of 3.30 which
described as “like very much” in terms of aroma, color, taste and texture because of its gotu kolacontent (75g) compared to treatments 1 (25g) and 2 (50g).
Table 6 reveals the difference on the level of liking of the dried fettucine pasta in threetreatments. It shows that it had a significant difference since the computed f-value is greater than
the tabular f-value. Therefore, it implies that the three treatments had different odor, shade, flavor
and consistency because the three treatments have different measurement of gotu kola added to theingredients of pasta. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected.
Table 6 Difference on level of liking of dried fettucine pasta in three treatments
Difference on
the level ofliking of thedried fettucine
pasta in threetreatments

Computed f-value

Tabular f-value

Interpretation

Decision

Significant

Reject nullhypothesis

At 5% level of significance
41.16

3.03

Table 7 Post hoc analysis in difference on level of liking of the dried fettucine pastain three treatments
Post-Hoc Tukey HSD test
Treatments pairTR 1 v TR 2

Tukey HSD Q statistic
6.7442

Tukey HSD p-value
0.0010053

Tukey HSD inference** p<0.01

TR 1 v TR 3

12.82510.0010053** p<0.01

TR 2 V TR 3

6.08090.0010053** p<0.01Ⓒ ISERD

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IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2022) 13-2

Table 7 denotes that the pairs of treatments were significantly different from each other in thelevel of liking of the dried fettucine pasta in three treatments. Therefore, it implies that treatments 1,
2 and 3 have big difference in the respondents’ level of liking since treatment 1 had 25 grams gotu
kola, treatment 2 had 50 grams of gotu kola and treatment 3 had 75 grams of gotu kola.
CONCLUSION
Based on the result of the study, the nutritive value of the three treatments of Dried Fettucine PastaEnriched with Gotu Kola: T1- 25 grams of fresh gotu kola, T2- 50 grams of fresh gotu kola, andT3- 75 grams of fresh gotu kola was evaluated by F.A.S.T Laboratories and found out that in every
100 grams of it is rich with nutrients and no preservatives added.
The dried fettucine pasta has a longer shelf life if kept in a room temperature than kept in arefrigerated temperature. The pasta should be completely dried to have a longer shelf life since themoisture content of the pasta can cause the product to spoil easily.
Based on statistical result in the level of likeness of Dried Fettuccine Pasta Enriched withGotu Kola shows that Treatment 3- Pasta with 75 grams of fresh Gotu Kola as rated “like verymuch” in terms of color, taste and texture. The result reveals that there was a significant differencein the level of liking of the dried fettucine pasta in three treatments, therefore it implies that all
treatments had different odor, shade, flavor and consistency because the three treatments havedifferent measurement of gotu kola added to the ingredients of pasta.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As the researcher journeyed throughout this study, many people helped and supported her along theway. It is only right to thank and give these people appreciation and recognition.
The researcher would like to express her heartfelt gratitude to the Almighty God for theblessings, guidance and grace; To Dr. Jean F. Nebrea, the co-author, for rendering her time, effort,
and encouragement to continue undertaking the study, for sharing her knowledge and expertise forgoing over the paper; To Dr. Mary Grace C. Ramada, the editor, for her assistance and effort incorrecting the grammar of this paper; To Prof. Edelmarie A. Cellan, the statistician, for her piecesof advice in the computation of statistical treatment and providing the correct formula; To 13thICERD Organizing Committee, for granting my request to be one of the presenters for the 13th
International Conference on Environmental and Rural Development; To Research Developmentand Extension Committee of BISU, for the assistance, giving support especially in processing myprepayment, and for providing funds; To Bohol Island State University, for the opportunity you had
given me to be one of the presenters for the 13th International Conference on Environmental andRural Development; To College of Technology and Allied Sciences- Research Development Office,for the trust you had given me to be selected as one of the faculty researchers; and To theRespondents, Food Technology Experts and Consumers, for the time in answering thequestionnaires as and who helped the researcher in the collection of the data.
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