SHARMA, RAKESHTHAKUR, MONIKA2021-10-112021-10-112021-10https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810176866ABSTRACT The present investigation entitled “Studies on development of Aloe vera fortified low calorie muffins” was carried out in the Department of Food Science and Technology, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India during 2019-2021. In the present study, fortification of Aloe vera gel and suitability of fat replacers (xanthan gum and guar gum) as well as alternative sweeteners (jaggery and sweetos) was evaluated for the development of Aloe vera fortified low calorie functional muffins. The investigation started with optimization of Aloe vera gel concentration for the production of Aloe vera fortified muffins using sensory evaluation. The best optimized treatment having 20 per cent Aloe vera gel was further used for the development of Aloe vera fortified low calorie muffins using fat replacers and alternative sweeteners. On comparison of fat replacers and alternative sweeteners, xanthan gum amongst the fat replacers and jaggery out of alternative sweeteners were selected as best for fat and sugar replacement, respectively in muffins. On the basis of sensory evaluation, combination treatment of muffin having 50 per cent fat replacement with xanthan gum and complete (100 %) sugar replacement with jaggery was recorded to be the best combination of xanthan gum and jaggery for the development of Aloe vera fortified low calorie muffins. The fat content and energy value significantly reduced from 19.24 per cent to 11.20 per cent and 406.3 Kcal/100 g to 333.9 Kcal/100 g, respectively in Aloe vera fortified low calorie muffins prepared with xanthan gum and jaggery. The aloin content of Aloe vera fortified muffins having 20 per cent Aloe vera gel were found within the permissible limits, ranging between 1.5 to 1.9 ppm. Further, FTIR analysis revealed that fortification of Aloe vera gel and use of xanthan gum and jaggery in Aloe vera fortified low calorie muffins significantly improved the nutritional profile of the developed muffins as several compounds (nucleic acids, amino acids, alkenes etc.) were detected. The best selected treatment from each trial (4 treatments) were also compared with the control sample of the muffins in terms of sensory, physico-chemical and microbial quality during storage period of 16 days under ambient (18 ± 2°C) and refrigerated (5 ± 2°C) storage conditions. Results indicated a slight decrease in physico-chemical and sensory quality of the muffins and the muffins were acceptable at the end of the storage period under their respective storage conditions. Overall, the results of present work in the developed Aloe vera fortified low calorie muffins characterizes splendid utilization of Aloe vera gel and are a perfect example of low calorie bakery products that hold ample potential for commercial applicationEnglishThesis