Chemical and Sensory Characteristics of Hard candy Added with Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Juice and Moringa (Moringa oleifera) Leaf Extract

Abstract

Conventional hard candy generally consists only of sucrose and glucose syrup without botanical extracts. Incorporating ginger (Zingiber officinale) juice and aqueous moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf extract modifies the chemical and organoleptic properties of hard candy. This study aimed to evaluate the chemical and sensory characteristics of hard candy formulated with varying combined proportions of ginger juice and moringa leaf extract. A single-factor completely randomized design (CRD) compared five combined formulations (F1–F5) across three independent batches within a sucrose (75 g) and glucose syrup (25 g) matrix, combining increasing ginger juice levels (0.2%, 0.8%, 1.2%, 1.5%, and 1.8% w/w of sugar base) with decreasing ratios of moringa leaf extract to distilled water (50:10, 40:20, 30:30, 20:40, and 10:50 mL; total liquid 60 mL). Chemical parameters—1% (w/v) sample solution pH, moisture, and ash content—were analyzed descriptively (mean±SD), while hedonic evaluation by 20 panelists across all formulations was analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests (α=0.05). Shifting formulations from F1 to F5 decreased 1% solution pH (6.86±0.01 to 6.54±0.01) and moisture content (3.21±0.01% to 0.42±0.01%) while increasing ash content (0.10±0.01% to 1.03±0.06%), with moisture and ash complying with SNI 3547.1:2008. Formulations significantly affected hedonic scores for color (p<0.001), aroma (p<0.001), taste (p=0.001), texture (p<0.001), and overall acceptability (p<0.001). Formulation F5 (1.8% ginger juice and 10:50 mL moringa extract:water) was the best treatment, achieving the highest scores for color (4.90), aroma (4.60), taste (4.95), texture (4.90), and overall acceptability (4.80), and is recommended for further development.