Physico-Chemical Characteristics, Sensory Properties and Microbial Quality of Date Fruit Added Rasomalai Prepared...

Rasomalai is an indigenous popular dessert made from chhana (acid curd) balls, which are cooked in concentrated sugar syrup, and further soaked in sweetened condensed milk or malai (volume of milk reduced to about 50% of the original). Milk and dairy products do not contain dietary fiber. In the present study, incorporation of dietary fibers was carried out by the addition of 0%, 3%, 6%, and 9% of dates (Phoenix dactylifera) into rasomalai prepared from buffalo's milk. The main goal of the present study was to assess the physico-chemical and sensory characteristics and microbiological quality of dates added buffalo milk rasomalai. The acidity of all the rasomalai types was ranging from 0.11% to 0.13%, and pH ranged from 6.08 to 6.66. We observed a linear increase in the total dietary fiber content of the rasomalai with the increase in the level of added dates, which ranged from 3.44% in the 3% dates to 13.38% in the 9% dates added rasomalai. The microbial quality was found statistically similar in all four groups of rasomalai. It was observed that the addition of date fruit intensified red and yellow hues in rasomalai while diminished its overall lightness. Notably, in the sensory evaluation, based on a 9-point Hedonic Scale, the overall appearance score ranged from 6.33 to 8.0 in the prepared rasomalai; however, the highest score for both appearance (8.0) and taste/flavor (8.68) was recorded for the 3% dates added sample. These findings open doors for the development of healthier, more appealing rasomalai variants that cater to both the palate and nutritional well-being.