Development and quality evaluation of value added instant rab mixes

Rab is a traditional Rajasthani preparation prepared by boiling maize grits and or flour in buttermilk for 2-3 h. It is sour in taste with curd and cumin seed flavour and has thick soup like consistency. Two instant mixes of rab were developed using two types of curds prepared from two different culture combination (i) S. lactis + S. thermophilus + S. diacetylactis and (ii) L. bulgaricus + S. diacetylactis. Processed greengram dhal and spinach leaves powder were added to the mixes for their value addition. In all, six mixes were developed from two types of curd. The mixes were analysed for nutritional composition at zero month and sensory characteristics and shelf life was evaluated for 4 months. The rab mixes provided moisture 4.0-5.5 g; protein 15.1-17.6 g; carbohydrate 62.3-70.29 g; energy 357-394 kcal; fat 4.4-6.1 g; iron 3.15-3.89 mg and calcium 346-386 mg per 100 g of mixes. There was an increase in protein, ash, fiber and iron content of mixes through value addition. Sensory evaluation of rab reconstituted from mixes revealed that the scores ranged between 7 and 8 depicting that rab was liked very much. The mixes were free from coliforms and S.aureus bacteria and the counts for TVC, yeast and molds were within safe limits during storage of 4 months at 28-30°C and RH 55-65%.