Effect of Sugar replacement on chemical composition and organoleptic properties of Shrikhand

Shrikhand is a popular Indian dessert prepared by fermentation of milk. It has a semi-soft consistency and is sweetish sour in taste. Fresh Curd (dahi) prepared was partially strained through a cloth to remove the whey and produce a solid mass called chakka. Chakka was finely mixed with sugar and flavouring agents, to give a sweetish-sour taste. For the present study stevia powder and extract was used to replace sugar. Stevia powder and extract were added in different combination in the experimental products. Control, having 100% sugar was also prepared. The organoleptic evaluation of the products was done by a panel of judges to select the most acceptable level of stevia in shrikhand. The product with most acceptable level of stevia and the control sample was stored for 21 days at refrigeration temperature. During storage products were analyzed for the proximate composition, sensory attributes and microbial load at an interval of 7 days. It was found that shrikhand was acceptable upto 30% substitution of sugar with stevia extract and 20% substitution with stevia powder as compared to the control recipe. The storage study reveals that there was a decrease noticed in fat, protein, moisture and ash in both the control and sample shrikhand during storage. A significant (P≤0.05) decrease was noticed in the scores for sensory. The microbial load increased significantly (P≤0.05) during storage. Keywords: Shrikhand, Stevia, Calories, Nutritive valueÂ