Valorization of Rosehip Waste for Functional Enhancement of Ash Gourd Candy: physicochemical, bioactive, molecular and structural characterization

Abstract

The study investigates blanching duration optimization in ash gourd candy production and the utilization of rosehip waste as a functional ingredient to develop value-added confectionery as an approach to sustainable waste valorisation. Optimization of blanching duration showed improved phytochemicals retention, while structural analysis of blanched samples indicated higher porosity, which may have facilitated the penetration of rosehip phytochemicals into the candy. The enhanced functionality of candies may have been the result of blanching optimization and incorporation of rosehip powder and extract during osmotic dehydration. Rosehip waste increased phytochemical and antimicrobial activities while retaining acceptability scores (>7 on a 9-point scale), with highest scores observed for 2.5 % powder and 5 % extract in optimised (2.5 min) blanched samples. FT-IR spectra show the presence of functional groups, and ranking analysis indicate that blanching duration primarily affected the colour and texture, whereas rosehip waste incorporation had greater effect on taste and flavour. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to assess the influence of formulation and processing parameters on the quality characteristics of the developed product. These findings demonstrate the potential of rosehip waste upcycling to reduce food processing waste and produce value-added functional confectionery products while retaining satisfactory sensory quality.