Effect of storage duration on physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory profile of Maush Kraer - an acid coagulated milk product

Abstract

The investigation comprised of storage studies where one sample prepared on traditional basis (Control/T₁) and second sample with altered composition (T₂) were compared based on physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics. The samples were tested for such characteristics at weekly interval for 28 days. The moisture and electrical conductivity values showed a decrease while as pH values were comparable during the whole storage period. Among treatments, T₂ has lower values for these physico-chemical characteristics compared to T₁. The microbiological studies (total plate count, yeast and mould count) showed a significant (p<0.05) increase as the storage time progressed with counts of traditional based sample (T₁) significantly (p<0.05) higher than T₂. Further, the sensory scores viz. appearance, flavor, body & texture and overall acceptability decreased significantly (p<0.05) as the storage time increased with highest reduction in T₁ compared to T₂.