QUALITY AND STORAGE STABILITY OF PACKAGED VELVET TAMARIND PULP POWDER (DIALUM GUINEESE)

This study investigated the effect of packaging materials (glass, plastic, and polyethylene) on the physicochemical, vitamin, colour, and sensory properties of velvet tamarind pulp powder during storage for nine weeks. Moisture content ranged from 5.50 ± 1.41% at week 0 to 10.50 ± 1.41% at week 9, with the highest increase recorded in polyethylene-packaged samples, while glass maintained lower moisture levels (8.25 ± 2.47%). Total solids decreased from 94.50 ± 1.41% to 89.50 ± 1.41%, with greater losses in polyethylene compared to glass. Vitamin C content showed a marked decline, dropping from 16.46 ± 0.02 mg/100g in glass-packaged powder to 9.82 ± 0.05 mg/100g in polyethylene by week 9. Colour attributes varied significantly; lightness (L*) declined from 74.10 ± 3.56 at week 0 to 43.54 ± 0.06 in glass and 37.30 ± 0.02 in polyethylene by week 6, while hue angle (h*) increased sharply to 96.70 ± 0.06 in plastic at week 6, indicating browning. Sensory evaluation revealed that overall acceptability remained high initially (8.30 ± 0.52) but declined slightly in polyethylene (7.80 ± 0.42) compared to glass (7.90 ± 0.88) and plastic (7.90 ± 0.74) at week 9. Overall, glass packaging demonstrated superior ability to retain nutritional, physicochemical, colour, and sensory qualities of velvet powder compared to plastic and polyethylene. These findings confirm glass as the most effective packaging material for extending shelf life and maintaining consumer acceptability of velvet powder.