Production of soapwort powder and soapwort concentrate to produce Turkish delight (lokum) and halva

Soapwort extract is an additive which has been used for color, volume and texture improvements of turkish delight and halva. This additive has been produced traditionally in food industry by extracting soapwort roots (Gypsophila bicolor (Freyn et Sint.) Grossh) in boiling water by manufacturers for a long time. In this study, the optimum extraction conditions for the concentration of soluble solids 5 % determined by using response surface method as following: the ratio of root to water 1:10, average particle size 4.5 mm, temperature at 95oC and extraction time for 3 hours. This extract has been enriched with saponin via reverse osmosis up to 18 % concentration of soluble solids. Soapwort powder, includes %4 moisture, produced from the obtained soapwort extract by using the spray dryer. The following features of the produced powder and extract have been analysed: Saponin amount, efficiency, Hunter L.a.b., moisture content, water activity, bulk density, solubility, turbidity, particle size distribution and non-enzymatic browning index. Moreover, sensual and textural properties of Turkish delight and halva samples were identified and evaluated.The products of soapwort extract and soapwort powder have been used on production of Turkish Delight and Halva with commercial soapwort extract. According to the quality analysis that has been ran with the end products it has been determined that; when the soapwort extract and the soapwort powder were compared in point of the color and the appreance of Turkish Delight, there was no differences statistically. Additionally, Halva samples which have been produced with the soapwort powder were the highest rated samples of all by the panellists on the sensorial analysis and these samples were determined as the best considering the structural values.