Proposal for the elaboration of concentrated base from surplus onion from the Panamanian production

Abstract

In the search to improve different aspects of life; Accessing healthy and increasingly natural foods, as well as forming alternative trading systems, is necessary for sustainable development. During the 2020-2021 agricultural period, national onion production reached 484,255 quintals, an increase of 54.3% compared to the previous period (2019-2020), according to figures from the Directorate of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agricultural Development in Panama. This work aims to develop a viable proposal for an innovative product, concentrated bases, using Panamanian onion production. For the development of these concentrated bases, the formulation, the design of the process, the definition of physicochemical parameters, the elaboration of the nutritional labelling, the sensory analysis and the marketing proposal were carried out. The results show us that the preferred concentrated bases by the sensory panel were the smoked onion and garlic concentrated base and the Panamanian sauce (sofrito) concentrated base. Regarding the physicochemical parameters, there is a difference in the results of pH, Aw, °Brix and viscosity, this for the concentrated base of smoked onion and garlic and the concentrated base of Panamanian sofrito, this due to the inclusion of tomato paste and achiote to the concentrated base of Panamanian sofrito. In conclusion, the use of onion as the main ingredient will improve the sensory level, due to the use of transformations associated with the smoking process.