Vol. 7, Issue 7, Part A (2025)

Aonla Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica) is a fruit renowned for its high nutritional value, particularly its rich content of vitamin C, antioxidants, and phenolic compounds. Despite its numerous health benefits, the fruit’s astringent and sour taste often limits its direct consumption, making it difficult to incorporate into regular diets. This study focuses on the development of aonla candy, aiming to create a nutritious, shelf-stable product that is both consumer-acceptable and retains the beneficial properties of the fruit. The research involved selecting four aonla varieties Chakaiya, NA-7, Banarasi, and Krishna and processing them into candy through a combination of blanching, osmotic dehydration in sugar syrup at varying concentrations (45°Bx, 50°Bx, and 70°Bx), followed by drying in a tray dryer at 60°C. The prepared candies were evaluated for a range of physicochemical properties, including moisture content xiv (20.16%), Protein (0.43%), vitamin C (240mg/100g), Fiber Content (4.97%), Ash Content (0.23%) and Titrable Acidity (1.46%). Sensory evaluation was also conducted. Among the varieties, NA-7 was selected for further analysis based on its superior sensory qualities and higher retention of key nutrients, particularly vitamin C. The shelf-life study conducted over a period of 9 months, highlighted the effectiveness of packaging materials in maintaining nutritional stability of the candies. Glass jars and cast polypropylene (CPP) packaging provided the best retention of the product's nutritional content, particularly vitamin C, compared to other materials like LDPE and aluminum foil. These results demonstrate the potential of aonla candy as a commercially viable functional food, offering a valuable alternative for incorporating the health benefits of aonla into daily diets. The study not only showcases the nutritional stability and acceptability of aonla candy but also offers insights into the optimization of processing techniques and packaging materials for the development of shelf-stable aonla-based products in the food and nutraceutical industries.