STANDARDIZATION AND STORAGE EVALUATION OF CARROT-BASED FUNCTIONAL DAIRY FOODS: STERILIZED FLAVOURED MILK AND CARROT KHEER

Abstract

The incorporation of vegetables into dairy products offers an effective strategy for enhancing their nutritional and functional value. Carrot (Daucus carota L.) is an excellent source of β-carotene, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, and natural antioxidants, making it a suitable ingredient for the development of value-added functional dairy foods. The present study was undertaken to standardize and evaluate two carrot-based functional dairy products, namely sterilized carrot-flavoured milk and sterilized carrot kheer, with respect to their physicochemical, sensory, and storage characteristics.

Carrot-flavoured milk was prepared by incorporating carrot juice at levels of 10, 20, and 30 percent. The formulated products were sterilized and stored at room temperature for evaluation of their chemical and sensory attributes. Sensory quality was assessed using a nine-point Hedonic scale. Among the treatments, the product containing 20% carrot juice and 15% sugar received the highest sensory scores and was most preferred by the panel of judges. The product remained acceptable throughout the 28-day storage period under ambient conditions.

Carrot kheer was prepared by incorporating shredded carrot at levels of 20, 30, and 40%, along with 8% sugar, 3% ghee, and 2.5% dry fruits. Among the different formulations, carrot kheer containing 30% shredded carrot was found to be the most acceptable. The optimized product exhibited 8.20% fat, 33.30% total solids, 0.17% titratable acidity, and 21.10°Brix total soluble solids. The overall acceptability score of the fresh product was 7.50, which decreased to 6.50 after 28 days of storage but remained within the acceptable range. The results indicated that carrot incorporation significantly improved the nutritional quality, sensory attributes, and consumer appeal of kheer. Furthermore, sterilization enhanced product stability and extended shelf life during storage at room temperature.

It may be concluded that sterilized carrot-flavoured milk containing 20% carrot juice and sterilized carrot kheer containing 30% shredded carrot are promising functional dairy products with good sensory acceptability, improved nutritional value, and satisfactory storage stability. These products have considerable potential for commercial utilization as value-added dairy foods.