Recent innovations in functionality and shelf life enhancement of ghee, clarified butter fat.

Ghee (clarified butter fat) is a well relished traditional fat rich dairy product. Ghee preparation involves concentration of milk fat using of different techniques, followed by heat treated at 110-120 °C for 10-20 min. During this process, moisture evaporates from the system with simultaneous changes in protein, lactose, fat and minerals. Interaction among these thermally altered species results into the development of characteristic 'ghee' flavor. But, the presence of unsaturated free fatty acids makes it highly susceptible to oxidative spoilage. Efforts have been made to increase the shelf life and functionality of ghee by adding many functional ingredients and natural antioxidants from different sources. This review deals with the different process employed for ghee preparation and the attempts made in the past two decades years to increase the functionality and shelf life of ghee. Also, the changes taking place during ghee preparation and flavour generation has been discussed in this review.

Khoa and khoa based traditional dairy products: preparation, spoilage and shelf life extension.

Khoa and khoa based products (burfi, peda, kalakand, milk cake, etc.) are a category of traditional dairy products of Indian subcontinent. They are prepared by open pan desiccation along with stirring and scraping of milk to the desired consistency, followed by addition of sugar and / or colour and flavoring ingredients. The peculiar sensory attributes developed during their course of preparation makes them unique, but their short shelf-life is a major challenge faced by the dairy industries. They are spoiled mainly because of yeast and mold growth along with detrimental changes in the sensory attributes. This review describes various preservation techniques explored in the last two decades such as packaging interventions, modified atmospheric and active packaging, chemical preservation, water activity modification, natural preservation, thermal treatments, bio-preservation, etc. which can be used either singly or in combination (hurdle technology), to enhance the shelf life of these milk products.

Preparation of whey based savory beverage with enhanced bio-accessible zinc.

Zinc is an essential micronutrient for numerous catalytic, structural and regulatory functions in human body. However, its direct fortification in the food matrix poses the challenges of decreased bio-accessibility by forming insoluble sediments. Complexing zinc with polysaccharides has been reported as a possible intervention to address this issue by keeping the zinc in soluble form. Present investigation was undertaken to transform paneer whey containing complexed zinc into a sensorially acceptable beverage by varying its pH from 3.5 to 5.5, common salt concentration from 0.5 to 1.5% and spices concentration at 0.2 and 0.4%. Changes in complexed zinc concentration, apparent viscosity, instrumental color parameters and sensory attributes were determined. Complexed zinc concentration increased (p < 0.05) with increasing pH, decreasing salt and increasing spices concentration. Whey beverage having 4.5 pH, 1.0% salt and 0.4% spices concentration was most preferred by the sensory panelists. In-vitro digestion of optimized whey beverage revealed that bio-accessibility of zinc was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in complex form than free from. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-022-05497-y.

Optimization of heat treatment and curcumin level for the preparation of anti-oxidant rich ghee from fermented buffalo cream by Central Composite Rotatable Design.

Adverse health effects of synthetic anti-oxidants have necessitated the use of natural anti-oxidants in food products. However, their incorporation may result into undesirable changes in physico-chemical and sensory attributes of the product. Hence, the present investigation was undertaken to prepare anti-oxidant rich ghee using curcumin (yellow pigment found in turmeric) as the natural anti-oxidant. Effects of varying curcumin levels (160-350 ppm), heating temperature (110-120 °C) and duration (16-22 min) on anti-oxidant, chemical and sensory attributes of ghee were studied. Increasing level of curcumin significantly increased the DPPH free radical scavenging activity and decreased the amount of conjugated dienes formation. Increasing heating time and temperature significantly decreased the anti-oxidant activity in ghee, but their combination significantly increased the activity. Increase in curcumin level and heating temperature improved the sensory attributes of ghee, but longer duration of heating decreased the same. Optimization using Central Composite Rotatable Design yielded 350 ppm of curcumin and heat treatment of 115 °C for 17.89 min for most acceptable, anti-oxidant rich ghee with a desirability value of 0.966. The model developed was found to predict the product characteristics adequately.

Effect of clove bud and curry leaf essential oils on the anti-oxidative and anti-microbial activity of burfi, a milk-based confection.

With scientific advancement in the field of food science and technology, there has been an increased availability of innovative ingredients that can be utilized towards value addition, quality enhancement, natural preservation, shelf life enhancement and adding novelty to traditional Indian dairy products. Here a scientific attempt has been made to increase the anti-oxidative and anti-microbial potential of burfi, a popular confection of Indian sub-continent with low shelf life using herbal essential oils (EOs) (natural preservative, antioxidant and antimicrobial) such as curry leaf (CRYF) (0.05-0.15 ppm) and clove bud (CLVB) (0.15-0.25 ppm) EO. Samples were subjected to physico-chemical, sensory, anti-oxidant and microbiological analysis and the results revealed that increasing the herbal EOs levels in burfi led to increase in anti-microbial and anti-oxidative attributes but simultaneously decreased the sensory attributes. Physico-chemical attributes remained unaffected upon EOs incorporation. Principal component analysis revealed 81.5% relation between the burfi samples and its quality attributes (DPPH activity, ABTS activity, total phenolic content, sensory attributes, standard plate count, yeast and mould count, moisture content, water activity, lightness, L* value, redness, a* value and yellowness, b* value). Herbal EOs i.e. CRYF@0.10 ppm and CLVB@0.20 ppm on khoa basis were found optimum for incorporation into burfi for enhancing storage stability without compromising the sensory acceptability.

Anti-oxidative, physico-chemical and sensory attributes of burfi affected by incorporation of different herbs and its comparison with synthetic anti-oxidant (BHA).

Six different herbs, viz., turmeric, ginger, clove, curry leaves, basil leaves and small cardamom, were incorporated (@1% of khoa) into burfi, a heat desiccated-sweetened milk product, for their ability to act as natural anti-oxidant and were compared against butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). Anti-oxidative potential of burfi significantly increased with herbs incorporation, which was in the order of clove > turmeric > basil leaves > curry leaf > ginger > cardamom. However, it was lower when compared to BHA added samples. Gross compositional attributes of burfi remained unaffected upon herb incorporation, however, significant lowering in water activity was observed upon cardamom and clove addition. Hunter color analysis revealed that cloves decreased lightness and increased redness, turmeric increased yellowness, and basil and curry leaves increased greenness in burfi. Texture attributes viz., hardness, springiness and gumminess were significantly higher for clove and cardamom burfi. Sensory evaluation revealed that among the different herbs, cardamom is highly preferred in burfi followed by ginger, turmeric, clove, curry leaves and basil leaves. However, no significant difference in sensory attributes were observed between control, cardamom and BHA added burfi samples.

Multi-Faceted Bioactivity Assessment of an Exopolysaccharide from Limosilactobacillus fermentum NCDC400: Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Immunomodulatory Proficiencies.

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) are acknowledged for their diverse functional and technological properties. This study presents the characterization of EPS400, an acidic exopolysaccharide sourced from the native probiotic Limosilactobacillus fermentum NCDC400. Notably, this strain has demonstrated previous capabilities in enhancing dairy food texture and displaying in vivo hypocholesterolemic activity. Our investigation aimed to unveil EPS400's potential biological roles, encompassing antioxidant, antibacterial, and immunomodulatory activities. The results underscore EPS400's prowess in scavenging radicals, including the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical, 2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline sulfonic acid) radical, superoxide radical, hydroxyl radical, and chelating activity targeting the ferrous ion. Furthermore, EPS400 displayed substantial antibacterial effectiveness against prevalent food spoilage bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCDC105 and Micrococcus luteus. Remarkably, EPS400 exhibited the ability to modulate cytokine production, downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and nitric oxide, while concurrently promoting the release of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 within lipopolysaccharide-activated murine primary macrophages. Additionally, EPS400 significantly (p ≤ 0.05) enhanced the phagocytic potential of macrophages. Collectively, our findings spotlight EPS400 as a promising contender endowed with significant antioxidant, antibacterial, and immunomodulatory attributes. These characteristics propose EPS400 as a potential pharmaceutical or bioactive component, with potential applications in the realm of functional food development.