Devina VaidyaSakshi Bhardwaj2024-02-262024-02-262023-12-27https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810207127The present study entitled “Development of process protocol for the drying of Moringa leaves” was conducted in the Department of Food Science and Technology, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh. Moringa oleifera is the most widely cultivated species of genus Moringa and belongs to the family Moringaceae. The leaves of Moringa are a rich source of proteins, minerals and many health promoting antioxidants like carotenoids, zeatin, sitosterols, etc. However, the leaves are still under-utilized due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors like saponins, glycosides, hydrogen cyanide etc. which affect the taste, aroma and bioavailability of nutrients present in the leaves. In this study, the leaves were harvested from areas of Karsog (Mandi) and were washed and nutritionally analyzed which revealed high content of moisture (63.87%), total phenols (277.53 mg GAE/100g), ascorbic acid (249.79 mg/100g), crude protein (27.35%), ash (8.33%) and total chlorophyll (10.13 mg/100g) with high antioxidant activity (93.13%) with the presence of anti-nutritional factors viz., saponins, glycosides and hydrogen cyanide. In order to minimize the anti-nutritional factors, chemical blanching for 105 seconds, water blanching for 240 seconds, and steam blanching for 480 seconds were found effective. The treated leaves (unblanched, chemically blanched, steam blanched and water blanched) were then dried at different temperatures (40°C, 50°C and 60°C) and the maximum antioxidant activity, total phenols, ascorbic acid and total chlorophyll retention was obtained at 40°C. Thus, the leaves dried at 40°C was ground into powder (250μm) and packed in glass vials and aluminium laminated pouches for conducting accelerated storage studies. The results revealed that steam blanched leaf powder was comparatively economical with higher shelf life (336 days) with maximum retention of quality parameters when stored in aluminium laminated pouches. Hence, blanching process before drying of Moringa leaves can be effectively used to reduce anti-nutritional factors and further, the powder can be fortified in the novel products. __________________EnglishThesis