A Study on Reformulation of Ginger-based Traditional Drink based on Consumer Acceptability and Flavor Preference

This research aimed to reformulate a Ginger-based Traditional Drink (GTD), traditionally consumed in Indonesia based on a consumer acceptance and flavor attribute preference. This study was conducted in Bogor, Indonesia. The research was divided into three steps, i.e. selection of GTD, optimization of the formula of selected GTD by Mixture Design in Design Expert 7.0 software, and final determination of physicochemical properties and acceptability of the optimized GTD. Fishbein and Wilcoxon's tests were applied as a processor in analyzing the data obtained from questionnaires. The preference study showed that “bajigur” was the most favored GTD in which ginger pungency was found as the most important attribute. The usage of brown sugar, ginger, and coffee as ingredients significantly contributed to the preferences in product color, sweetness, and pungency but not in aroma. The reformulated GTD could be accepted by consumers from varied ethnics (Batavians, Javanese, Sumatrans, Celebes, and Sundanese), although the majority was still from the Sundanese ethnic (67%). The optimized GTD formula was more preferred than the commercial “bajigur” with the hedonic scores of 3.44 and 1.25, respectively.