Standardization and characterization of value added watermelon juice (<em>Citrullus lanatus</em>) ready-to-serve beverage

An experiment was conducted to study the feasibility of blending pineapple and watermelon juice in different ratio for preparation of blended RTS beverage. The formulated RTS beverages were evaluated for various chemical, organoleptic and microbial qualities. The titrable acidity, ascorbic acid, total soluble solids (TSS) and total sugars of freshly made RTS beverages increased while pH decreased with the increased concentration of pineapple juice from 10-30%. Tukey’s test results revealed that, the mean scores for all assessed organoleptic characters varying significantly (pH0.05) in the freshly made pineapple blend watermelon RTS beverages. The formulated beverage with 80:20 watermelon and pineapple juice was found to be superior in quality and could be stored at 30±1°C for a minimum period of three months without any significant changes in quality attributes.