Osmotic Dehydration of Carrot Shreds for Instant Halwa Mix: Process and Storage Insights
摘要
Carrot halwa is a popular traditional Indian sweet delicacy that is widely consumed, but the preparation process is time-consuming. In this study, an instant carrot halwa ready-mix (CHR) was developed from osmo dehydrated carrot and beetroot shreds. The carrot and beet root shreds in the ratio 1:0.1 were gradually roasted using 2% ghee in a stainless-steel kettle after the osmotic dehydration process. Grated khoa (25%) was then added gradually, with continuous heating and mixing. An antioxidant, tocopherol, was added to ghee along with blanched carrot shreds within legal limits. The heated carrot halwa mixture was spread in a thin layer on a stainless-steel plate and dried in a vacuum oven at 40–50 °C for 5–6 h. After drying and cooling to room temperature, the carrot halwa ready-mix was packed in multilayer laminated pouches, and a shelf-life study was conducted for 6 months to monitor quality changes. The dried carrot halwa mix was rehydrated with hot water (85 °C) in a 1:2 ratio of dried mix to hot water, with gentle mixing for sensory evaluation. It was observed that the instant carrot halwa mix remained stable and acceptable for 6 months under ambient conditions, but slight changes in nutritional parameters occurred. The moisture content increased from 2.16% to 2.62%, reducing sugars increased from 32.76% to 40.15%, and FFA (free fatty acids) increased from 0.121% to 0.156%. Water activity also increased from 0.368 to 0.380 during storage. In contrast, crude fiber decreased from 1.56% to 1.38%, total sugars decreased from 81.12% to 79.12%, protein decreased from 13.12% to 11.56%, β-carotene decreased from 8.14 mg/100 g to 7.56 mg/100 g, and fat decreased from 8.75% to 8.73%. However, the carrot halwa ready-mix remained organoleptically acceptable up to 6 months of storage. All the sensory parameters, including appearance, texture, taste, and overall acceptability, were comparable to the freshly prepared halwa, although there was a slight fading in the color of the carrot halwa ready-mix.