Omega-3 Rich Jelly Candy Fortified with Portulaca oleracea Seeds Oil: Physicochemical Properties, Fatty Acids Composition and Acceptability

Portulaca oleracea seeds oil is considered a good source of essential omega-3 (ω-3) and omega-6 (ω-6) fatty acids. In the present study, physicochemical properties, fatty acid composition and sensorial acceptability of jelly candy prepared with sucrose or sucralose and fortified by 1% purslane oil in microencapsulation form were estimated. Four treatments were prepared and stored at 4±1 °C for 90 days. The obtained results revealed that adding microencapsulated purslane oil caused slight changes in moisture content and TSS of the resultant jelly candy while significantly decreased the pH value (from 3.17 to 2.31 for jelly prepared with 100% sucrose + 1% purslane oil and from 3.58 to 2.42 for jelly prepared with 100% sucralose + 1% purslane oil) during storage period. The physicochemical properties were changed significantly during storage. In addition, a significant increase in the peroxide value during storage period was noticed (from 0.64 to 0.98 meqO₂/ Kg for jelly prepared with 100% sucrose or 100% sucralose + 1% purslane oil). Adding purslane oil enhanced the fatty acid composition with a sum of polyunsaturated fatty acids more than 70%. The main fatty acids in the fortified samples were linoleic (41.93 and 41.95%), linolenic (32.91 and 33.00%) and oleic (19.97 and 19.90%) acids for sucrose and sucralose jelly candies, respectively, with slight changes during storage period. The sensorial analysis showed that the scores of the overall acceptance significantly decreased in sucralose jelly candy fortified with purslane oil, while there were no significant differences in the acceptability of the other samples. Therefore, by using purslane seeds oil, it is possible to produce jelly candy with high nutritional value along with health benefits.