Optimization of aonla-blended juice based on antioxidants and sensory qualities using response surface methodology

Present research investigation was aimed to determine the optimum combination of aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.), pomegranate and aloe vera juices, which were mixed together in various proportions to obtain asuitable blend. Box Behnken design was adopted with three factors at five levels of each. The responses wereanalysed to fit a polynomial model by least square technique. Optimized blend was observed to contain aonla juice (71.6%), pomegranate juice (15.6%) and aloe vera (12.7%). Resulted with the responses of TSS 8.91oBrix, acidity 0.40%, ascorbic acid 80.1 mg/100 ml, colour L 23.55 and overall sensory score of 7.9. Regressionmodels for TSS, ascorbic acid and sensory were found significant and the coefficients of determination R2 were found in the range up to 0.93 for these dependent variables. Results showed that the optimized blend of aonla-pomegranate-aloe vera juice is acceptable for further development of premium beverages and can be preservedfor 6 months with good quality attributes.