Production and quality evaluation of dates-pumpkin jam for pre-school children

The main goal of this study was to develop a well-balanced jam with high quality and nutritional value from dates fruits and pumpkin for pre-schoolchildren to improve their health and nutritional status. The developed product was subjected to physicochemical, chemical, color, nutritional, sensory and statistical evaluations. From the main results obtained in this study, the newly developed jam product was found to have high quality and appreciable amounts of minerals (650.56 K, 126.06 Ca, 4.21 Fe and 1.24 Zn mg/100 g), beta-carotene (175.4 μg/100 g) and energy contents (307.26 kcal/100 g) to meet partially the daily-recommended nutrients for young children. In addition to that, the product was found within the recommended levels of total soluble solids (70.19%), pH (3.33), acidity (0.79%) and viscosity (1806 Cp) of jam specifications and was highly preferred by the panelists. Therefore, it can be concluded that the newly developed jam product could be used as a healthy food for young children to reduce their energy, minerals and vitamin deficiencies in young children, especially in the Kingdom and other Gulf countries