Development of cost-effective protocol for preparation of dehydrated paneer (Indian cottage cheese) using freeze drying

Nowadays, there is high consumer demand in the market for simple to prepare, convenient, healthy and natural foods. Paneer or Indian cottage cheese is an acid and heat coagulated milk product which serves as a rich source of animal proteins for the vegetarians. Due to high moisture content (58-60 %), it is highly perishable in nature. Drying of paneer would undoubtedly extend the shelf life of paneer and also help in value-addition of paneer. Dehydrated paneer would find numerous ways to be use.  Drying of paneer by conventional methods poses threats including case-hardening and non-uniform incomplete drying, poor rehydration characteristics, longer drying time, yellow discoloration and oiling off during drying. Freeze drying remains the best in retaining the quality of dried food products.  Though it is highly expensive due to high processing and operation costs. The present study focuses on developing cost-effective protocol for freeze-drying of paneer. Efforts have been made by use of pre-treatments prior subjecting to freeze drying. The dehydrated product would be shelf-stable and can be rehydrated to its original state having flavor and texture comparable to the fresh form. Moreover, the final product after rehydration would be more fresh and softer than its frozen counterparts. The developed product would be easily kept well for few years at room temperature without any addition of preservatives.Keywords: Paneer; freeze-drying; color; rehydration ratio; pre-treatment