Question

For making aonla murabba the normally fruit to sugar ratio used is __________.

• A. 1 : 1
• B. 1.5 : 1
• C. 1 : 1.5
• D. 1 : 2

Hint:

For preparing standard fruit preserves (Murabba), always remember that the sugar quantity must exceed the fruit quantity, with a standard ratio of 1 part fruit to 1.5 parts sugar.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Preserves (Murabba) are traditional sweetened fruit products prepared by cooking whole or large pieces of fruit in heavy sugar syrup until the final sugar concentration reaches around \(68\text{--}70^{\circ}\text{Brix}\).

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Aonla preserve (Aonla Murabba) is prepared by pricking the fruits, blanching them to remove bitterness (astringency due to tannins), and then soaking/cooking them in sugar syrup.
To ensure long-term shelf stability without fermentation, the final concentration of sugar in the syrup must be maintained at a high level.
The scientifically standardized ratio of fruit-to-sugar utilized for processing Aonla Murabba is 1 : 1.5 (i.e., for every \(1\text{ kg}\) of prepared aonla fruit, \(1.5\text{ kg}\) of sugar is used).
This ratio ensures:
1. Complete penetration of sugar syrup into the pricked fruit tissues via osmosis.
2. Maintenance of the final syrup concentration at or above \(68\%\) Total Soluble Solids (TSS), which acts as a powerful osmotic preservative by reducing water activity below the threshold for microbial growth.
If a 1:1 ratio is used, the high moisture content of the aonla dilutes the syrup, making it highly susceptible to yeast fermentation.

Step 3: Final Answer:
Thus, the fruit to sugar ratio normally used for making aonla murabba is 1 : 1.5.