Development and Optimization of Kokum (Garcinia indica Choisy) Rind Effervescent Tablets: Physicochemical Characterization and Consumer Acceptability

Abstract

Kokum (Garcinia indica Choisy), an important spice fruit native to the Konkan region, is known for its unique acidic flavour, natural pigments, and bioactive compounds. However, its utilisation is mainly limited to traditional products such as syrup, squash, and dried rind. The present study was undertaken to develop effervescent tablets from kokum rind powder as a convenient and value-added beverage formulation. Three formulations of kokum effervescent tablets (T₁, T₂ and T₃) were prepared by varying the levels of kokum rind powder, citric acid, and sodium bicarbonate while the other ingredients were kept constant. The optimised formulation T₂ consisted of kokum rind powder (0.45 g), citric acid (0.70 g), sodium bicarbonate (0.85 g), sugar powder (5.00 g), stevia (0.30 g), black salt (0.30 g), cumin powder (0.15 g), black pepper powder (0.05 g), red chilli powder (0.05 g) and talc (0.15 g) in an 8 g premix. The developed formulations were evaluated for physical, functional, physicochemical and sensory quality attributes. Sensory optimisation was performed using a 9-point hedonic scale with 30 semi-trained panellists. Randomised block design (RBD) analysis showed significant differences among the formulations, with calculated F-values higher than the tabulated value (2.71) for appearance (10.66), colour (8.86), taste (11.50), mouthfeel (13.07) and overall acceptability (10.59). Treatment T₂ was selected as the optimised formulation with the highest overall acceptability score of 8.02. The optimised tablets exhibited thickness (6.98 mm), diameter (16.22 mm), effervescence time (3.96 min), dissolution percentage (92.47 %), moisture content (3.71 %), ash content (16.82 %), pH (5.78), titratable acidity (1.58 %) and total soluble solids (1.37 °Brix). The study demonstrated the potential of kokum rind powder as a functional ingredient for developing ready-to-use effervescent beverage tablets, thereby contributing to the value addition and diversification of kokum-based products in the food processing sector.