Upcycling Surinam cherry and spine gourd fruit waste: development of anthelmintic jelly candies using fruit extracts

Under-utilized fruits and vegetables are rich in nutraceuticals and have several medicinal properties. A large group of people widely consumes gummies and jelly candies, which can serve as an excellent vehicle to increase the intake of functional components. In the present study, jelly candies were developed by incorporating fruit extracts from commonly wasted segments of two under-utilized fruits (Surinam cherry and Spine gourd). Jelly candies were evaluated for their anthelmintic efficacy against Caenorhabditis elegans along with various physicochemical, microbial, colour, texture, and sensory parameters immediately after preparation, as well as during 150 days of storage at two conditions (ambient and accelerated). Ready-to-consume jelly candies (5 g) contained 0.21 g of fruit extract in Surinam cherry and 0.35 g of fruit extract in Spine gourd jelly candies. Jelly candies exhibited TSS in the range of 70.40 - 71.37°Brix, pH 2.33 to 2.84, a_w 0.70-0.75, moisture 10.57-15.88%, a* value 5.33-1.27, b*value 10.66-1.28, no microbial contamination, and acceptable sensory parameters. Surinam cherry extract candy (4 mg/ml) showed a higher anthelmintic effect than Spine gourd extract candy (6.66 mg/ml) based on egg inhibition, larval death, and average adult worm paralysis time assays. These fruit extract-incorporated candies can be a novel healthier food product with anthelmintic potential, which can be an alternative to commonly used anthelmintic drugs.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-024-05967-5.