White chocolate, unlike milk and dark chocolate, lacks cocoa mass and thus has lower antioxidant activity. Red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyhizus) is rich in antioxidants due to its betalain content and can serve as a natural colorant, potentially increasing the antioxidant value of white chocolate. However, adding powdered ingredients can create a gritty texture, mitigated by varying melanging times. This study aimed to assess the effects of red dragon fruit powder (5%, 10%, and 15%) and melanging times (2.5, 5, and 7.5 hours) on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of white compound chocolate. A completely randomized design was used, with data analyzed using ANOVA for physicochemical properties and Friedman and CATA for sensory properties. Results showed that red dragon fruit powder significantly increased moisture content, hardness, viscosity, a*, c*, and △E, as well as total phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity. Longer melanging times initially increased moisture content but later decreased it while increasing hardness and reducing viscosity, total phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity. Sensory analysis revealed significant color preference for higher powder additions. The gritty texture increased with more powder but decreased with longer melanging times. The higher powder additions elicited positive emotions and were seen as more complex, unusual, and authentic. The optimal formulation, preferred by panelists, was 15% powder addition with 7.5 hours of melanging time, enhancing antioxidant content and reducing grittiness. This study highlights the potential of red dragon fruit powder to improve white chocolate's nutritional profile while optimizing sensory qualities.
