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Betel leaf or "Paan" is contemplated as "a neglected green gold of India" due to its nutritional, economic, medicinal, social and cultural values. However, surplus production of the leaves during the glut season and lack of adequate storage facilities compels the betel leaf growers to sell it at a throw away price. Therefore, to overcome this problem, the preservation techniques like shade drying, hot air oven drying and vacuum oven drying have been widely used, but these methods produce lower quality dried betel leaves or consume more time to dry. Freeze drying is a well-known technique to dehydrate heat sensitive products without damaging its actual quality. Hence, the current study was taken up to compare quality of freeze-dried betel leaves with shade dried, hot air oven dried and vacuum dried betel leaves. Drying conditions for shade drying, hot air oven drying, vacuum drying and freeze drying were 32 ± 3°C, 60°C, 60°C and 0.5atm, and - 40°C and 0.21 atm, respectively. Eight different thin layer drying models were studied and compared based on coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE) and chi square. A sensory study on dried leaves was also conducted on 9-point hedonic scale. The results showed that Page model was the best fitted model for freeze drying (R2 = 0.992) and vacuum drying (R2 = 0.995) methods, whereas Peleg model and Verma et al. model were found to be best fitted for shade drying (R2 = 0.997) and oven drying (R2 = 0.993) methods, respectively. The results also revealed that both freeze dried and shade dried contained the highest essential oil content (1.5%) compared to oven dried (1.0%) and vacuum dried (0.8%) betel leaves. However, shade dried leaves were found to be the most preferable by the panelists during organoleptic evaluation followed by freeze drying, hot air oven drying and vacuum drying. Therefore, it can be stated that freeze dried leaves are analogous to shade dried leaves in terms of quality. However, freeze drying took much lesser time (10h) to dry compared to shade drying (10 days). Hence, freeze drying can be considered as a suitable preservation technique for drying of betel leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the feasibility of providing a regular supply of locally produced potatoes during landlocked winter months in Ladakh region. Potato tubers were stored (January–May) in semi-underground stores where conditions were between 0.2–13.6 °C and 87–96% relative humidity. Periodical sample analysis was carried out on sensory attributes and the physicochemical attributes firmness, sprouting, pulp temperature, total soluble solutes, sugar level, vitamin B6, dry matter, weight loss and CIPC residue level, to evaluate the quality of the stored potatoes. Pearson's correlation analysis measured the relationship between various physicochemical attributes that helped improve understanding of potato variability. CIPC residue concentration was within the recommended limit of 30 mg/kg tuber in peeled and unpeeled tubers ranging from 0.02 to 0.12 mg/kg and 0.04 to 3.90 mg/kg, respectively. Tubers stored during extreme winter conditions showed the highest level of total sugar 927 ± 8.54 mg/100 g after 5 months of storage. Vitamin B6 was 0.276 mg/100 g in CIPC treated potato and 0.190 mg/100 g in non-treated potato which is approximately 15% of recommended daily vitamin B6 intake. Based on the results of this study, potatoes stored in zero energy–based semi-underground stores were in good quality after a period of 5 months and suitable for consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amrakhand is a variation of shrikhand where it is mixed with pureed mango popular in western part of southern peninsula of India; consumers in Gujarat prefer its sweet variety while those in Maharashtra prefer the tangy/soury variety. High sugar content in the Amrakhand contributes to the total energy intake; carbohydrate is the most restricted item in the diet of both dietetic and diabetic individuals. Stevia is a natural sweetener with zero calories and its beneficial influence on human health, there is a great possibility of its use in food industry. The main aim of study was to investigate the sensory quality of Amrakhand prepared by using stevia leaf extract powder at different level of concentrations. Six different concentrations of sucrose and stevia used were 30:70(T1), 25:75 (T2), 20:80 (T3), 15:85 (T4), 10:90 (T5) based on quantity of chakka. Control sample (T0) was prepared from 100:0 sucrose and stevia leaf extract powder concentration. Sensory attributes (colour and appearance, flavor, Mouthfeel, Body and texture, taste and overall acceptability) were judged by panel using 9- point hedonic scale the preferred order of samples was as follows : T1>T2>T0>T3>T4>T5. Amrakhand with treatment T1 (30:70) was more acceptable by the panel of judges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited shelf life due to processing associated microbial contamination is one of the major challenging issues with minimally processed 'Ready to Bake' (RTB) vegetable products leading to huge post-processing losses. In the current study, three minimally processed vegetables, i.e. tomato, bell pepper and white onion, which are widely used in fast food industries (FFI), such as pizza and burger as well as in households; were studied for their post-processing microbiological profile; and to assess the effect of gamma radiation treatment (0.5–5 kGy) to maintain hygiene during extended storage at low temperature. Prior to radiation treatment, the minimally processed vegetables were packed in low density polyethylene bags (thickness: 50 μm) which is suitable for such agri-produce and compatible to gamma radiation treatment (USA, FDA). Besides, vacuum packaging in multilayered LDPE bags was optimized for shredded onion. Except tomato, which did not contain any detectable presumptive coliform or yeast and mold on day 0, the other two cut vegetables were found to have higher load of microbes, i.e., more than 4.0 log CFUg−1 of total aerobic plate count, 3.0 log CFUg−1of each of yeast and mold counts (YMC) and presumptive coliform (PC) counts. In the radiation treated (2 kGy) vegetables, no PC was detected; even after 20 days of storage; whereas, in the untreated bell pepper, tomato and onion samples PC counts were found to be 4.3 ± 0.1, 3.7 ± 0.2 and 1.7 ± 0.3 log CFUg−1 respectively on day 20 of storage. The data indicated that, the total aerobic plate counts in the 2 kGy irradiated samples were below the permissible limit as per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines. Organoleptic attributes ('colour', 'texture', 'flavour', 'taste' and 'overall acceptability') of the radiation treated products were found to be well retained even on 20 days of storage. The nutritional adequacy of these products in terms of total energy, fat, protein, carbohydrate, minerals and vitamin content was found to be well retained till the end of the 20 days' storage period. Findings of the study thus establish the efficacy of gamma radiation treatment in ensuring the safety and quality of minimally processed vegetables for their use in FFI as well as domestic kitchens. • Pre-cut bell pepper, onion and tomato are extremely perishable fast food ingredients. • Gamma irradiation extended shelf life of these minimally processed vegetables. • Pre-packed radiation treated (2 kGy) products lasted for 20 days at 4–6 °C. • The treatment ensured microbiological safety during storage. • Organoleptic attributes and nutritional parameters were also well retained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the population does not prefer to consume brown rice because of its strong nutty and chewy texture imparted by bran and germ. The present study has been undertaken to investigate the influence of accelerated aging through microwave (MW) heating at a lower and higher MW power levels of 950 and 1,400 W for 72 and 91 s to observe the changes in physicochemical, texture, pasting properties, sensory attributes, and microstructure of selected rice varieties (Sona masuri and RNR-15048) stored as brown rice for 6 months. The results revealed a significant decrease in moisture, amylose, free fatty acids (FFAs) with changes in color (L*, a*, and b* values) in both the varieties treated at 1,400 W for 91 s. An increase in kernel elongation ratio, water uptake, and a decrease in cooking time and solid loss was noted in both the varieties. After cooking, the texture of both the varieties showed an increase in hardness with reduced stickiness at both lower and higher MW power levels of 950 W for 72 s and 1,400 W for 91 s compared to untreated brown rice with an improved porous structure when observed under SEM analyzer followed by better water absorption and organoleptic properties after cooking. The reduction in final viscosity has been noted in both the varieties at 1,400 W for 91 s due to the binding of FFA with starch. Thus, the MW power level of 950 W for 72 s and 1,400 W for 91 s showed the better results for short-grain varieties like Sona masuri and RNR-15048 stored as brown rice., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)