Evaluation of Antioxidant Properties of Microgreen Masala Mix and Assessment of Organoleptic Properties of Microgreen Masala Mix Incorporated Products

Abstract

The study aimed to develop masala mix using microgreens, to assess the organoleptic properties of products prepared by incorporating Microgreen Masala Mix (MMM) and compare the antioxidant properties of the most acceptable variation of MMM with Standard Masala Mix (SMM). Four varieties of microgreens - Spinach, Fenugreek, Coriander and Amaranthus were cultivated, harvested, dehydrated and powdered separately. A microgreen mix (MM) was prepared by mixing 5 g each of the dehydrated powder. SMM was prepared using different spices.MMM was prepared by replacing the SMM with MM at 10, 15 and 20% (i.e Variation- 1,2 and 3) respectively. Masala rice and Masala potato fry were prepared by incorporating SMM and MMM. Sensory attributes of the developed products were evaluated by 15 semi-trained panellists using 9 point hedonic scale. Masala rice-Standard and variation 1 had a higher and similar mean score of 8.4±0.63 and 8.4±0.82 respectively. A similar trend was noticed for masala potato fry, where standard and variation 1 had a mean score of 8.13±0.74 and 7.9±1.33 respectively indicating a high overall acceptability. Hence, the antioxidant properties of MMM (variation 1) were analysed and compared with SMM. MMM (variation 1) had high total phenolic content (55.7 ?g of gallic acid equivalent/ml) and essentially similar flavonoid content (13.45 ? Quercetin/ml). The free radical scavenging activity IC50 value of variation 1 was higher (99.0 ?g/ml) than the standard. Microgreens are rich source of antioxidants hence incorporating microgreens in regular recipes along with other spices and condiments will prove useful to maintain health.