Susan B. Templeton,1 Martha Marlette,1 Kirk W. Pomper,2 and Snake C. Jones2
ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. Asimina triloba, kentucky banana, indiana banana
SUMMARY. Marketed as a fresh fruit, the pawpaw (Asimina triloba) has a short shelf life, only 2-3 days at room temperature and up to 3 weeks with refrigeration. There is commercial processing potential for pawpaw pulp in juices, ice cream, yogurt, baked goods, and other products. Consumer acceptability of such products needs to be investigated. One hundred and five attendees of the 2nd Annual Pawpaw Field Day at Kentucky State University (KSU), Frankfort, Ky., participated in a tasting of pawpaw products; 56% of tasters were male; 76% were over 40 years of age; 72% of tasters had eaten pawpaw previously. Each item was rated on a scale from 1 = liked it extremely to 7 = disliked it extremely. Pawpaw ice cream was the best-received item (55% of tasters liked it extremely), followed by pawpaw cake with lemon icing, liked extremely by 45%. The pawpaw/grape juice drink was liked extremely by 31% of participants. Three alternative recipes for pawpaw butter were presented; the plain pawpaw butter was liked extremely by 26% of tasters; pawpaw butter prepared with lemon and grape juice was liked extremely by 11%, while the version prepared with orange and lemon was liked extremely by only 8%. Two versions of pawpaw custard were presented. The custard prepared from ripe, mild-flavored fruit was liked extremely by 42% of tasters, while the custard prepared from mixed under-ripe, over-ripe and bruised fruit was liked extremely by only 16%. Ratings by persons unfamiliar with pawpaw flavor were significantly lower (P < 0.05) only for the two pawpaw custards; tasters age 40 years or younger gave significantly higher ratings for pawpaw ice cream (P < 0.05) and significantly lower ratings for both pawpaw custards (select, P < 0.05 and mix, P < 0.01) and the pawpaw/grape juice drink (P < 0.05).
The pawpaw is the largest fruit native to the United States (Darrow, 1975; Pomper et al., 1999). Pawpaw is a nutritionally superior fruit, being higher in some vitamins, minerals, and amino acids than in apple (Malus xylvestris var. domestica), grape (Vitis spp.), and peach (Prunus persica) (Jones and Layne, 1997; Peterson et al., 1982). In some cultivars, there is a skin color change from green to green-yellow (e.g., ‘PA-Golden #1’) when the fruit ripens. Flesh color of ripe fruit ranges from creamy white through bright yellow to shades of orange. The flavor of ripe pawpaw fruit resembles a combination of banana (Musa ×paradi-siaca), mango (Mangifera indica), and pineapple (Ananas comosus); however, flavor varies among cultivars, with some fruit displaying more complex flavor profiles. Ripe pawpaw fruit soften and have a powerful aroma (McGrath and Karahadian, 1994; Shiota, 1991). The flavor of a pawpaw fruit can intensify as it over-ripens, as with banana, resulting in pulp that is excellent for use in cooking. Usually the shelf life of a tree-ripened fruit stored at room temperature is 2 to 3 d, but with refrigeration [4°C (39.2°F)], fruit can be held up to 3 weeks while maintaining good eating quality (Layne, 1996).
This research was supported by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service Agreements no. KYX-50-00-15H and KYX-10-97-28P to Kentucky State University.
1Human Nutrition Research, Atwood Research Facility, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY 40601. To whom reprint requests should be addressed.
2Horticulture Program, Atwood Research Facility, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY 40601-2355.