COMPARISON BETWEEN SUNFLOWER AND SESAME HALVA ASSORTMENTS FROM IAŞI COUNTY MARKET.

Sunflower halva is a traditional product characteristic to Eastern European countries, while sesame halva is one of the most popular foods in countries of the Middle East and North Africa. In the current paper sensory profile, fat, protein, total sugars, total reducing sugars, ash and moisture content of halva assortments from Iaşi County market were compared. Sunflower and sesame halva samples from different producers and countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine) were purchased from different stores and markets localised in Iaşi County. Research revealed a total fat content between 31.48 - 37.95%, proteins ranking between 11.4 - 11.95%, total sugars within 26.97-42.57% limits, ash between 1.57 - 1.80% and moisture content ranged between 0.68 - 2.75%. Statistical differences between the sesame and sunflower halva assortments of were highly significant both for the sensory analysis and chemical composition. Differences found between the halva assortments are due different technologies, recipes and raw materials used in the technological process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]