Quality characteristics of giant swamp taro (cyrtosperma merkusii) and warty sea cucumber (stichopus horrens) enriched noodles

The main trust of t this study was to determine the quality characteristics of Giant Swamp Taro (Cyrtosperm merkusi) and Warty Sea Cucumber (Stichopus horreans) Enriched Noodles and assess its level of liking and preferred packaging in three treatments in terms of appearance, aroma, taste, texture and overall liking as basis for technology package. It was conducted in the six BISU campuses, Anda Technology and Livelihood Education secondary schools and Anda beach resorts and restaurants. Specifically, the study sought to analyze the proximate composition and shelf life of the products. An experimental parallel group design aided with a self-made questionnaire was used as tool to gather essential data from 90 respondents. The data were collected, tallied, and subjected to statistical treatment. The 4-point modified Hedonic Scale was used to ascertain the level of liking and preferred packaging. Laboratory results revealed that the nutritive content of the giant swamp taro and warty sea cucumber enriched noodles contains 150 calories amount per serving. With the percentage of daily value the total fat is 2%, sodium 12%, total carbohydrate 10%, total sugars 5%, protein 6%, iron 9% and potassium 2% with a serving size of 60 grams. An observation guide was utilized to observe the changes of the taro noodles observed within a month, the quality was still the same. On the onset of the study, the marketability aspect of the product was affected due to the pandemic and typhoon Odette which was noted to be least commodity to be sold in the market. All treatments were “liked” by the respondents. Generally, result of the study shows that there was a significant difference in the respondents’ level of liking among the treatments. The preferred packaging was the cartoon cup with a plastic cover. Research findings show that the three treatments of “Giant Swamp Taro” (Cyrtosperm merkusi) and Warty Sea Cucumber (Stichopus horrean) Enriched Noodles is a viable, and is feasible product to be made for a potential technology package. However, the researcher shall consider possibility of conducting further experimentalizations to ascertain that the sensory attributes will all be rated “liked very much”.