Volume 18 2026 A PRELIMINARY STUDY: EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT BAMBANGAN FRUIT PROCESSING METHODS ON THE TEXTURE AND SENSORY PROFILE OF DARK CHOCOLATE PRALINE FILLED WITH BAMBANGAN FRUIT GANACHE Authors Anis Syuhada, A.A.1*, Izzreen, I.2 & Nur Farisya, I.S. 2, Muhamad Hanif, R.3 ABSTRACT This study investigates how bambangan (Mangifera pajang) processing method and formulation composition influence the textural and sensory properties of dark chocolate pralines containing white chocolate ganache filling. Bambangan was incorporated into the ganache either as purée (BPG) or freeze-dried powder (FBG), and the effects of bambangan, white chocolate and cream proportions were evaluated using an extreme lattice mixture design. Texture Profile Analysis was used to evaluate the textural properties of the ganache filling, while Quantitative Descriptive Analysis was used to determine the sensory profile of the chocolate products. It was found that the processing method significantly influenced adhesiveness and all sensory attributes evaluated. Compared with BPG, FBG formulations produced chocolates with higher perceived firmness, accompanied by lower adhesiveness, smoothness, creaminess, sweetness and bitterness. BPG produced sensory characteristics most comparable to a model oil-in-water ganache, indicating that bambangan purée can be incorporated without substantially altering the sensory profile of conventional ganache-filled chocolate. Variations in bambangan, white chocolate and cream proportions exhibited different effects depending on the processing method, affecting hardness in BPG, springiness, cohesiveness and smoothness in FBG, and adhesiveness and sweetness in both systems. Principal component analysis confirmed distinct separation between chocolates formulated with bambangan purée and freeze-dried bambangan powder. The findings demonstrate that bambangan processing method influences the interactions between formulation components, textural properties and sensory characteristics in ganache systems, providing a basis for developing fruit-based chocolate products and future optimisation studies. VIEW PDF DOWNLOAD