Standardization of technology for Manufacture of Moringa leaf buttermilk

Abstract

Buttermilk, a “ready-to-serve†fermented milk product, is used as a refreshing beverage from time immemorial in India. An attempt was made to develop a buttermilk containing Moringa leaf powder (MLP) to improve its nutritional value. Buttermilk was prepared from dahi containing 4.5% milk fat and 8.5% MSNF. A Mesophilic/Thermophilic culture was used for preparing dahi. The most acceptable level of total milk solids (TMS) in buttermilk, acidity of dahi and MLP in buttermilk were optimized using Response Surface Methodology with central composite rotatable design. It was found that 5.31% TMS, 0.91% acidity of dahi and 0.62% MLP gave the most acceptable product. A blend of 0.08% pectin and 0.03% carrageenan was selected and addition of salt, sugar and spices @ 0.5%, 4.0%, 0.5% respectively were most suitable. The proximate chemical composition of Moringa buttermilk was 11.33% total solids, 1.58% protein, 1.8% fat and 0.83% ash. One serving size (300 g) of the product could be "a good source of Vitamin A, calcium and iron" providing 10, 18 and 11% DV respectively.  The shelf-life of the product was 20 days when packaged in Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and stored under refrigeration (7±2°C).