ACCEPTABILITY OF PROCESSED AND PACKAGED QUEEN PINEAPPLE PRODUCTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Queen pineapple cultivar grown abundantly in Camarines Norte, Philippines is a major source of income of the rural folks in the area aside from agriculture. Maximum utilization of these pineapples, the sweetest of its kind, is sought to determine the acceptability of the Queen pineapple as raw material for the processing of the fruit into pineapple crisps, pineapple jam and pineapple juice drink. Results of the shelf life determination through microbiological testing (total plate count and mold and yeast count) conducted simultaneously for 3 months indicated that the processed products were still acceptable and edible to the respondents. The selected materials used in packaging these processed products in terms of its label design were also tested. Predictors for the general acceptability of the selected packaging materials are based on the following criteria, namely; the local food and drug agency label requirements, appearance including color, convenience including the ease in opening, ease of disposal of the package material, and protection against physical and chemical contamination.