Interdisciplinary researcher with 5+ years of experience in the discipline of food engineering and technology viz. Processing of fruits and vegetables, Drying Technology, Value addition, and utilization of by-products.
Development and Evaluation of Calcium-Fortified Multi-Millet Biscuits: A Nutritious Alternative to Refined Wheat Flour Mili Manchanda, Divya Rawat, Abhishek Chandra, Ramesh Kumar Saini Foods, 2024 Millet products have garnered global recognition for their exceptional nutritional profile, appealing to various age demographics, and, therefore, fortifying such products with minerals can ensure nutritional security. This research explores the feasibility of utilizing millet as a substitute for refined wheat flour in biscuit production. Three distinct millet varieties were investigated: finger, pearl, and buckwheat. Employing response surface methodology (RSM), the optimal ratio of these flours was determined, resulting in a blend of 1.5:1:1, respectively. The optimized multi-millet biscuits were further enhanced with calcium fortification and subjected to comprehensive physico-chemical analysis. Proximate composition analysis revealed favorable levels of protein (5.472 ± 0.31%), ash (2.80 ± 0.57 g/100 g), and energy density (5.8015 ± 0.004 kcal/g), indicating a significantly higher protein content, enriched mineral profile, and high energy density as compared to refined wheat flour products. Sensory evaluation encompassing attributes such as color and texture and organoleptic assessment using a nine-point hedonic scale demonstrated favorable acceptance. Additionally, the overall acceptability of the biscuits remained consistently high throughout storage, ranging from 8.263 ± 0.65 (day 0) to 8.053 ± 0.85 (day 14). This study underscores the potential of multi-millet biscuits as a nutritious and palatable alternative to traditional wheat-based snacks, offering an avenue for diversifying dietary options and promoting healthier food choices.
Food Recommendations for Hypertensive Persons Chinta Jayanth Srinivas, Abhishek Chandra Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Emphasis on Diabetes Hypertension and Depression Management, 2024
Effect of different concentrations of thermoprotectant on microencapsulation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG by spray-drying, and its effect on physicochemical properties and viability Sachin Kumar, Sourabh Kumar, Swati Mitharwal, Abhishek Chandra, Prabhat Kumar Nema International Food Research Journal, 2023 Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is an acceptable probiotic strain that can live and grow at a gastrointestinal acidic pH and on a bile-rich medium. The influence of spray-drying microencapsulation of LGG on the physicochemical parameters and survivability was investigated in the present work. LGG was spray-dried with three different maltodextrin concentrations (6, 12, and 18% w/v). The inlet and outlet air temperatures of the spray-dryer were kept at 170 ± 5°C and 75 ± 5°C, respectively. The physicochemical parameters (moisture content (wet basis), water activity, and colour), viability (colony forming unit/g), and simulated gastrointestinal digestion were all investigated. Only 18% MD was selected on the basis of moisture content and log CFU/g. The total soluble solids (TSS) of 16.28 ± 0.93 °Brix were obtained using 18% MD. The end product had a moisture content of 5.40 ± 0.20%, and a water activity of 0.32 ± 0.02 aw, which were acceptable. The L*, a*, and b* of the final product were 95.14 ± 0.19, -2.33 ± 0.02, and 7.17 ± 0.13, respectively. The spray-dried powder had final probiotic viability of around 108 CFU/g. Based on the study, maltodextrin at 18% (w/v) concentration can be considered as an ideal formulation with acceptable powder characteristics for shielding probiotic microorganisms from harmful conditions of spray-drying.
Ultrasonic and osmotic pretreatments followed by convective and vacuum drying of papaya slices Abhishek Chandra, Sourabh Kumar, Ayon Tarafdar, Prabhat K Nema Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2021 BACKGROUND Papaya fruit is highly nutritive, but very fragile and thus has a limited shelf life. Drying is essential to preserve it as a product for a longer duration. In this work, osmotic dehydration (OD) with and without ultrasound (US) as a pretreatment was applied on papaya slices in conjugation with vacuum (VD) and convective air drying (AD). Drying was carried out in a novel dryer. Moisture content, drying time, water activity, total color change, total phenolic content, radical scavenging activity, texture, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrums were evaluated for fresh and, dried papaya slices. RESULTS It was observed that US assisted OD followed by VD had the lowest drying time with highest retention of phenols and antioxidants as compared to other drying techniques. Higher phenols and antioxidants in US pretreated samples were attributed to the release of trapped intra-cellular polyphenols by cavitation. However, the color characteristics and texture of OD pretreatment followed by convective AD slices were found better. Color retention could be due to carotenoid preservation which would otherwise be degraded in other treatments whereas lower brittleness was associated with lower pectin. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed the retention of phytochemicals and antioxidants in dried papaya slices that were subjected to pretreatment. CONCLUSION Pretreatment before drying enhances the end product quality of dried papaya slices. The results of this study highlight that USOD-VD is effective for nutrition preservation while OD-AD is suitable for preserving physical characteristics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.