Effect of pH on Texture and Organoleptic Evaluation of Citron Fruit Bars Packed in Plastic Film

Abstract

Citron fruit bar is a product similar to the bitter orange preserve; both use sugar to produce a thin crust and a soft inner portion. The crust, due to continued crystallization, increases in thickness until the whole bar has a hard crystallized structure. Citron bars processed at a pH of 3.4 to 4.4 showed that the amount and rapidity of crystallization can be controlled to obtain a preserve which keeps the desired texture for a longer time during storage. The most acceptable product, a bar with a thin crust and a soft inner portion which maintained these characteristics for more than six months, was obtained when the citron bar was processed at pH 4.1.