CONSUMER SATISFACTION ON UBE, BUKO, AND MANGO FLAVORS OF TAHO

Presented to the Faculty of the Talipan National High School

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Technical, Vocational, and Livelihood Strand

Capistrano, Julian S.

Catalla, Ella Mae A.

Merle, Ronrine

Perlas, Sean Andrei C.

Zeta, Cyrus Laurence O.

April 2022
Introduction

Taho or Soy Curd Pudding is a very common and popular street food in the Philippines.

It is highly consumed by Filipino households and bystanders. Aside from tofu, the other

ingredients of Taho include sugar/arnibal syrup and small sago pearls. Sugar syrup is its base

flavor provider. Without this, Taho will be tasteless. However, the high sugar intake of an

individual from sugar-based Taho increases the risks of having diabetes. Hence, lessening the

sugar amount is helpful. Moreover, diversifying the flavor of the syrup will contribute to creating

variation in the market.

Taho is a traditional Filipino dish composed with silken tofu, sago pearls, and brown

sugar syrup. It's a delectable vegan soy treat that's commonly served for breakfast or whenever

you need a quick energy boost. This soy dish is usually served warm for breakfast or as a quick

pick-me-up at any time of day. It's a vegan sweet treat that's high in protein and carbohydrates to

keep an individual going (Manalo, 2021).

For most Filipinos, taho has become a morning staple, especially in this new normal.

Taho is a hearty cup full of nutrients and minerals important to the body, aside from its one-of-a-

kind taste. For most Filipinos, taho has become a morning staple, especially in this new normal.

Taho is a hearty cup full of nutrients and minerals important to the body, aside from its one-of-a-

kind taste. Soy isoflavones, which are contained in taho, have the ability to lower LDL (bad)

cholesterol levels in the body. Taho may also be used as a protein source that is vital to the body

as a primer. Soy peptides contained in fermented soy foods like tofu have antioxidant and anti-

inflammatory characteristics that can help protect blood vessels from oxidative and inflammatory

damage. The taho isoflavones in soy aid to prevent bone loss and increase bone mineral density.
The body's natural production of estrogen ends during menopause, and symptoms may appear.

Because phytoestrogens work as a weak estrogen, they may be able to assist ease symptoms by

modestly increasing estrogen levels, which may reduce hot flushes in certain people (Style MNL,

2022).

Classic taho seems to be overrated locally so the consumers tend to look for a new flavor

of the well-known taho. In fact, Baguio already created a remarkable strawberry flavor of taho.

Baguio City residents take advantage of the plentiful strawberries in their neighborhood. Because

they can utilize the fruit in other goods like ice cream and jam, they came up with another

method to include it into other Filipino favorites. As a result, the strawberry-flavored taho was

born (Forbes, 2020). This marks the start of giving the classic taho a makeover and introduction

of a new flavor which is the ube flavor. Ube taho was also introduced in Baguio first before the

other regions in the country. Cay (2020) reported that Baguio City introduced new flavors of

taho depending on the abundant fruit crops in the area.

The researchers are now eyeing to formulate new flavors of taho such as mango, Ube,

and buko to bring new tastes to the market. Mango is a very popular flavor of various desserts. It

is popular to have a flavor for ice-cream, cakes, and even on graham. Like the other fruits,

mango is also available in syrup which is added to different desserts and makes them more like

having a mango taste (Insanely Good, 2022). According to Raman (2021), mango and other

mango-flavored foods provide several benefits to the consumers upon moderate intake and

depending on the amount of chemicals involved. Organic mango flavors could fight against

cancer. It also helps in boosting and strengthening the immune system. The skin and hair can

also be improved due to mango intake. It also helps in fighting constipation. It also improves
eye health and maintains blood pressure. Therefore, it is also ideal for developing a new flavor of

taho not just because of its taste but the health benefits as well.

Purple yam, locally known as ube, is a tuber that is native to the Philippines and is

frequently used in dessert dishes there. Although this jewel-toned root vegetable is not a sweet

potato, the two are closely related and share a lot of similarities, including the fact that they are

both starchy and sweet. Although ube is commonly found in sweet sweets, where it is combined

with less-than-healthy components like sugar and sweetened condensed milk, these purple yams

have a nutritional profile all their own. Ube is a great source of both dietary fiber (4 grams per

serving) and health-promoting antioxidants, according to Dr. Amy Lee, Nucific's Head of

Nutrition. Despite its creamy, potato-like texture, "ube is really considered a low glycemic load

meal, so it is not as starchy as one may think...and the starch is a resistant starch, so it feeds our

microorganisms in the gut," according to Dr. Lee (Singer, 2021). Ube is also rich in

antioxidants, and nutrition. It could help in maintaining sugar level in blood and the blood

pressure. It also improve the asthma condition of an individual and promotes gut health. Ube’s

abundance in the country develops the versatility of the crop’s culinary purposes (McCabe,

2019).

On the other hand, buko or coconut water is a popular beverage flavor especially in

Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines. Buko, especially the plain one, is popular

for being a great flavor for juice. However, it is not common to see other buko-flavored

beverages in the market aside from its juice. Commonly, people use the buko and pandan

combination of flavor on various beverages and desserts such as buko pandan salad, buko

pandan juice, and others. However, the plain buko is not so popular when it comes to variations

of beverages (Happy Tummy, 2021).

 By integrating these three (3) flavors to introduce the new taste of taho, it will help in

diversifying the variations of available choices of taho in the market. People who are far from

Baguio will be able to taste new and unique flavors of taho. In this case, the possibility that local

vendors will gain more customers will increase.

Significance of the Study

This study will provide significant information about the consumers’ level of satisfaction

towards the introduced Ube, Mango, and Buko flavors of taho. Furthermore, the following

individuals will benefit from this research:

Consumers. Consumers will be able to taste a variety of taho flavors in a healthier and more

affordable means without going up to Baguio. Thus, they will be able to avoid the risk factor

brought by the classic taho and start to intake a healthier version of it.

Taho Vendors. The flavors of taho that they will offer to consumers will be varied and it will

not be limited to caramelized sugar syrup. Hence, their sales will increase resulting in higher

income.

Healthcare. Since these flavors of taho are not fully sugar-based, the healthcare of individuals

will be improved even more due to the decrease in potential acquisition of diabetes. Moreover,

the flavors also contain health benefits, nutrition, and promote a healthier and more productive

body for consumers.

Food and Beverage Industry. This research could be applied in innovating and improving the

quality, diversity, and health sufficiency of the food and beverage industry as the flavors of taho
introduced in this study were all unique, healthy, and affordable. Hence, it will boost its

development.

Future Researchers. Future researchers could acquire knowledge on this research and find

rooms for improvements of their research. Moreover, this could urge them to discover unusual

flavors of beverages and desserts.

Scope and Delimitation

This study will concentrate on measuring the level of satisfaction of consumers with

regards to the Ube, Mango and Buko flavors of Taho. Additionally, the three introduced flavors

will be compared to the arnibal/caramelized sugar syrup of Taho. A total of fifteen (15)

consumers will be used to participate in this research. Furthermore, all the processes and

methodologies by which this study will undergo will be exclusively done in Lucena City,

Quezon Province.

However, the possibilities of conflicts with these limitations may arise due to several

challenges. The total number or respondents may have a different view compared to the total

local population of Taho consumers. Areas outside Lucena City, Quezon Province may have the

same amount of interest on Taho and abundance of materials in the area.

Definition of Terms

This research paper contains terminologies that are significant for the genuine

understanding of the study. The terminologies were defined as follows:

Buko - the Filipino term for immature green coconut. It has soft meat inside

which is the edible part of it where its sweet taste comes from.

Diabetes - a condition wherein a person's blood glucose, commonly known as

blood sugar, is too high.

Flavor - a description of the main characteristics of a dish or drink essence

that appeals to the sense of taste.

Mango - a tropical fruit that is fleshy, oval, and yellowish-red in color that

can be eaten ripe or used green in pickles or chutneys.

Ube - from green tea leaves, powdered and mixed in hot water to brew

tea or as a flavor.

Sago Pearls - small pearls similar to the tapioca pearls which are commonly

added to beverages in Asian countries.

Soy - the most protein-rich vegetable on the planet; made from soybeans.

Soy Isoflavones - phytoestrogens produced from plants (compounds that exhibit

estrogenic activity).

Taho - fresh soft/silken tofu, arnibal, and sago pearls are used to make this

Filipino snack meal.

Tofu - made from mashed soybeans, this curd is commonly used in Asian

and vegetarian cuisines.

References

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%20estrogen%20stops%2C%20and%20symptoms%20may%20arise.