Virtual Booth

J-AKOB (Jelly Takob-Akob) is an innovative snack that transforms takob-akob, a sour local fruit peel, traditionally used in Sabah cuisine-ikan ampap, into a convenient, enjoyable and value-added food product.Instead of limiting this local produce to cooking, we turned it into a sweet-and-sour konjac jelly made with takob-akob extract, konjac powder, local honey and some sugar.The main challenge was its strong sour and slightly astringent taste. We learned a technique that preserves its refreshing sourness but deletes its unpleasant aftertaste. Laboratory testing showed that takob-akob contains vitamin C and flavonoids, with antioxidant activities.The local honey and sugar provide sweetness, combined with fibre-rich konjac, J-AKOB offers tasty and satisfying snacking. J-AKOB was also developed with consumers in mind. We prepared samples for our schoolmates and their responses guided several formulation improvements. The result is a uniquely flavored jelly that is easy to enjoy.Packed in a ready-to-eat sachet, J-AKOB is convenient to carry and fits today's growing trend of on-the-go snacking.J-AKOB has a slightly sweet but special sour and tangy taste.J-AKOB is not your regular tangy jelly; it brings together local biodiversity, science and the modern snacking trend, turning a familiar local ingredient into an innovative product with commercialization potential.