Level of Acceptability of Dragon Fruit Pastillas

Abstract

Dragon fruit is a variety of cactus species. It has a unique appearance, sweet taste, and crunchy textures. Dragon fruit contains multiple antioxidants that are beneficial to health. Dragon fruit also contains many vitamins and minerals that are important for a healthy body. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, dragon fruit has the following nutritional value: calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, sugars, calcium, iron, sodium, and vitamin C. Pastillas is a type of milk-based candy that is popularized relatively recently to the Western world. They are generally made from carabao or cow milk or a combination of both sugar and calamondin juice. To make our pastillas more special, we added milk, dragon fruit puree, and refined sugar in a large wok. The study used a descriptive research method. The researchers also used the random sampling method to select the respondents. A survey questionnaire was used to gather data from the 50 respondents. The results of the study showed that dragon fruit pastillas is acceptable. Based on the data, their products are accepted by the teachers and students. Most of the respondents agreed that the product will be accepted by the people. This research focused on the level of acceptability of dragon fruit pastillas in Bestlink College of the Philippines. Dragon fruit, which is also known as pitaya or pitahaya, is increasingly gaining interest in many countries including Thailand, which has an ideal climate for breeding different varieties of tropical and subtropical fruits in general, especially dragon fruit. The benefits of dragon fruit for human health can be explained by its essential nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, dietary fibers, and antioxidants. Thus, the researchers came up with an idea to make a healthy version of pastillas.