Nutritional and organoleptic evaluation of Bajra and Kodo millet halwa with value addition of jaggery, pumpkin seed, dates and amla powder

Abstract

Millets are gaining popularity due to their nutritional richness and making them suitable for diverse dietary preferences. Value addition in food products refers to the process of enhancing the quality, nutritional content, sensory attributes, and overall appeal of food items through the incorporation of additional ingredients. Five treatments of bajra and kodo millet halwa were formulated coded as T0, T1, T2, T3, & T4. Treatment T0 was considered as control treatment (no value addition). Value added halwa and control halwa were analysed for its organoleptic characteristics. This study revealed that all value added treatments of halwa had better quality in terms of colour, taste, texture, flavour and overall acceptability scored 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.6, and 8.6, respectively as compared to control products. Results indicated that the value addition of jaggery, pumpkin seed, dates and amla powder significantly enhanced the nutritional value of Bajra and Kodo Millet Halwa, particularly in terms of crude protein 6.92 g, crude fiber 1.86, crude fat 31.12, vitamin-c 23.02, B-carotene 6.875 and total antioxidants 186.826. Furthermore, organoleptic evaluation revealed positive perceptions regarding taste, aroma, texture, and overall acceptability of the enriched halwa variants as compared to the control sample.