Probiotics & Nutraceuticals

Biography

Biography: Pragya Pandey

Abstract

Black carrot is a purplish-black root vegetable grown in northern part of India. This crop is a considered as functional food as it contains an abundant amount polyphenols and minerals. Despite the extraordinary nutritional and nutraceutical profile of black carrot, the utilization of this crop this limited to the production of fermented beverage (Shikanji). In the present study, an effort has been made to study the suitability of black carrot into traditionally red carrot based popular products particularly Halwa (Pudding) and Burfi (dense milkbased sweet). Black Carrot Halwa (BCH) and Black Carrot Burfi (BCB) were developed using standard methods. In BCH, 100% black carrot was used, however in BCB; condensed milk was replaced at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% level with red and black carrot pulp. The developed product was analyzed for sensory attributes. The most acceptable product was further analyzed for mineral content, bioactive compound content and shelf life stability. The sensory analysis by the panelists showed that BCH was equally acceptable as traditional red carrot Halwa however; BCB was highly acceptable up to 30 percent level of black carrot pulp incorporation. Estimation of mineral content revealed that both BCH and BCB had significantly higher Mg, Fe and Zn content as compared to red carrot based similar product. BCH and BCB further reported very high levels of anthocyanins, totals phenols, flavonoids and significantly higher antioxidant activity than red carrot based similar product. The storage analysis revealed that BCH was most acceptable up to 10 days and BCB for 30 days of storage at refrigerated condition. Hence, the present study recommends that black carrots have potential use as ingredient in different food products. It helps to improve food quality by providing a diet rich in bioactive compounds, which are beneficial for human health.