Effect of processing technique and storage on the ascorbic acid retention & organoleptic characteristics of Amla laddu

Abstract

The amla is a seasonal, acidic and bitter fruit. The present study was undertaken to study the effect of processing technique and storage on the ascorbic acid retention and organoleptic characteristics of laddu prepared from amla. Four varieties of amla viz., Kanchan, Krishna, NA-7 and Gujarat-1 were used to prepare laddu. The physicochemical and nutritional composition of the laddu were analyzed. These products were stored for 30 days period and retention of nutrients during storage period was recorded. The significant increase was observed in reducing sugar and total sugar content of different varieties under different storage conditions. The highest value for reducing sugar (44.60%), total sugar (66.27%) were observed in the Krishna laddu, while the lowest in the laddu prepared from Gujarat-1. Moisture, fiber, acidity, texture, ascorbic acid and non-reducing sugar were significantly decreased as the period storage increased. The highest moisture was observed in the laddu made from Gujarat-1 variety (22.73%) and the lowest in the Krishna variety (14.70%). Fiber content was observed in the laddu highest and lowest in Krishna (4.51%) and Kanchan (3.44%), respectively. The highest and lowest acidity was noticed in the Gujarat-1 laddu (2.40%) and Krishna laddu (2.01%). The highest and lowest non-reducing sugar was observed in the Krishna laddu (21.67%) and Gujarat-1 laddu (18.95%). Krishna and Kanchan laddu exhibited the highest (256.22 mg%) and showed the lowest (216.44 mg%) ascorbic acid. The highest score for organoleptic parameters were found for the laddu made from Krishna followed by NA-7, Gujarat-1 and Kanchan variety.