THE QUALITY OF SUGAR BEET PEKMEZ MADE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA USING TRADITIONAL RECIPES

Abstract

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. altissima var. saccharifera Alef.) is an important raw material for sugar production and is widely used in human nutrition. The use of sugar beet in pekmez production is not widely distributed on a global scale and is generally limited to specific geographical and agroecological regions, including Central Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this region, the production of sugar beet pekmez is based on traditional methods, and data regarding its production and quality remain scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the technological characteristics of sugar beet as a raw material, determine the nutritional and sensory properties of sugar beet pekmez, and assess the influence of agroecological growing conditions on variations in its quality. The mechanical composition, physicochemical parameters of both the raw material and pekmez, as well as the sensory properties of pekmez produced during two consecutive production seasons (S1 and S2) were investigated. Sugar beet contained 17.63°Brix soluble solids and 15.80% total sugars, while the processing recovery reached 68.76%. The pekmez yield was 4.76%. Pekmez samples produced in season S1 showed significantly higher (p˂0.05) viscosity, total phenolic content, soluble solids, total sugars, and sucrose content, as well as superior sensory quality in terms of color, taste, and consistency, whereas odor was evaluated equally for both samples. No significant differences were observed in titratable acidity and directly reducing sugar content between the two seasons. The obtained data represent the first step toward standardizing sugar beet pekmez production using traditional methods.