Pritam Chand Sharma

Present research investigation was aimed to determine the optimum combination of aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.), pomegranate and aloe vera juices, which were mixed together in various proportions to obtain asuitable blend. Box Behnken design was adopted with three factors at five levels of each. The responses wereanalysed to fit a polynomial model by least square technique. Optimized blend was observed to contain aonla juice (71.6%), pomegranate juice (15.6%) and aloe vera (12.7%). Resulted with the responses of TSS 8.91^oBrix, acidity 0.40%, ascorbic acid 80.1 mg/100 ml, colour L 23.55 and overall sensory score of 7.9. Regressionmodels for TSS, ascorbic acid and sensory were found significant and the coefficients of determination R² were found in the range up to 0.93 for these dependent variables. Results showed that the optimized blend of aonla-pomegranate-aloe vera juice is acceptable for further development of premium beverages and can be preservedfor 6 months with good quality attributes.

Dried apple pomace contains 36.8% fiber composed of water soluble and insoluble fractions, but is treated as a waste in apple processing industries. The present study was conducted to prepare fiber-enriched yoghurt by using 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10% apple pomace fiber in whole milk and milk without fiber was kept as the control. All the treatments were inoculated with combined culture (1%) of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum. The yoghurts were evaluated in terms of sensory quality, pH, acidity, total solids and fiber contents. The addition of fiber in yoghurt resulted in a decrease of acidity (0.15–0.09%) and fat contents (1.65–1.59%) with increase in fiber concentration. Further, on the basis of sensory analysis, yoghurt containing 5% apple fiber was judged as the best and hence optimized for preparation of fiber-enriched acidophilus yoghurt with desirable quality and sensory attributes. The diets with high content of fiber have been reported to have a positive effect on health. The importance of food fibers has led to the development of a large and potential market for fiber-rich products and ingredients. Recently, there is a trend to find new sources of dietary fiber that can be used in the food industry. Supplementation has been used to enhance fiber content of foods. Addition of fiber in breakfast cereals, bread, cookies, cakes, yogurt, beverages and meat products has been reported with favorable qualities. The present manuscript was carried out keeping in view the positive effect of fiber on human health.

Bioactive components of fruit and vegetables play an important role in scavenging free radicals and protect the body from degenerative diseases. A kinetic study was conducted to quantify the losses occurring in bioactive components, antioxidant activity and changes in colour and firmness of four commonly used vegetables (beetroot, green pea, eggplant and green pepper) during heat treatment (70–90 °C). The study revealed that logistic model can predict the variation in bioactive components and antioxidant activity with higher R² and lower root mean square error (RMSE) as compared to first order model due to logarithmic reduction in these properties in the beginning of the process itself. However zero and first order kinetic models were found suitable to predict the changes occurring in colour and firmness respectively during blanching. D, z value, activation energy (E_a), activation enthalpy and entropy were calculated for all measured parameters for selected vegetables in the temperature range of 70–90 °C. These finding would be useful in designing thermal processes and related calculations for these vegetables.

The availability of fruit like litchi has been limited by variability in yield, alternate bearing, seasonal differences and most commonly post harvest problems. The litchi fruit has a very short shelf-life during which red color turns brown which greatly affects the appeal to consumer although not the unique flavor. This review article focuses on the post harvest problems especially browning of litchi. The pericarp of litchi is also sensitive to desiccation and turns brown and brittle once moisture is reduced to half. A large number of approaches have been tried to solve this problem starting from hydro-cooling to gamma irradiation but single approach could not suffice for all. In modern era, the logical base of controlling browning is either to control the responsible enzyme or remove the undesirable product of enzyme catalyzed reaction. Thus enzyme technology with good postharvest practice can definitely solve this problem.

The kernels of apricot (Prunus armeniaca) stones are utilized for extraction of oil. The press cake left after extraction of oil was evaluated for preparation of protein isolate for its use in food supplementation. The apricot kernels contained 45–50% oil, 23.6–26.2% protein, 4.2% ash, 5.42% crude fibre, 8.2% carbohydrates and 90 mg HCN/100 g kernels, while press cake obtained after oil extraction contained 34.5% crude protein, which can be utilized for preparation of protein isolates. The method standardized for extraction of protein isolate broadly consisted of boiling the press cake with water in 1:20 (w/v) ratio for 1 h, raising pH to 8 and stirring for a few min followed by filtration, coagulation at pH 4 prior to sieving and pressing of coagulant for overnight and drying followed by grinding which resulted in extraction of about 71.3% of the protein contained in the press cake. The protein isolate contained 68.8% protein, 6.4% crude fat, 0.8% ash, 2.2% crude fibre and 12.7% carbohydrates. Thus the apricot kernel press cake can be utilized for preparation of protein isolate to improve the nutritional status of many food formulations.

Juice from sand pear and apple was extracted by grating the fruits following extraction using hydraulic press. The juice after extraction was filtered, heat pasteurized and packed in glass bottles followed by processing. Suitability of blending sand pear juice with apple juice was evaluated. Blending of sand pear juice (SPJ) with apple juice (AJ) in the proportion of 50:50 to 60:40 gave better quality with higher sensory score. With the increase in the level of SPJ in the AJ mix there was gradual increase in the level of polyphenols. Brix to acid ratio of the beverage was optimum when SPJ and AJ were blended in the ratio of 50:50 to 60:40. Storage of blended beverage containing 50–60% SPJ was found more shelf stable during 6 months storage.

ISHS VII International Symposium on Temperate Zone Fruits in the Tropics and Subtropics - Part Two UTILIZATION OF STONE FRUIT KERNELS AS A SOURCE OF OIL FOR EDIBLE AND NON-EDIBLE PURPOSES

The effects of varying levels of pH, ethanol, SO ₂ and N sources on the deacidification activity of Schizosaccharomyces pombe during plum must fermentation were examined. The deacidification activity of the yeast was rapid at pH 3·0–4·5 but was adversely affected at pH 2·5 in the initial stages of wine fermentation. Plum must with 150 ppm SO ₂ was effective in enhancing the activity, while the major effect of higher SO ₂ concentration in the must was the slower start of the process. The addition of ammonium sulphate in must enhanced the acid reduction. The deacidification activity of the yeast was quite susceptible to higher concentrations of ethanol (5–15%). The colour of the wine depended on the quantity of acid utilized by the yeast and the phenomenon was reversible. Red colour units of the wine were positively correlated with acidity, whereas blue and yellow units were inversely related to this character.