Stability of β-carotene in Pumpkin Flour Fortified Vermicelli

Colour is one of the important attributes which influences the acceptance of a food product. Carotenoids are a class of compounds which impart colour into food products. The micronutrient in the fresh pumpkin such as carotene was found to be in good amounts (8 mg /100 g), while minerals such as P (27.8 mg/100 g) and Fe (1.5 mg/100 g) were present in considerable amounts. In the present study, attempts were made to store the carotene rich pumpkin flour (PF) at both ambient and refrigerated temperature for 6 months and its application in the preparation of vermicelli. The PF and PF fortified vermicelli samples were evaluated for the stability of β-carotene during storage. It was observed that at 4°C, the retention of β-carotene in PF was 25.5% at 6 months, while at 30°C, the retention was 11.45% for the same duration. The retention of β-carotene in vermicelli was higher at higher levels of PF incorporation (85.19%) as compared to lower levels of application (6.35%). However, a significant decrease in carotene during storage was observed in both PF incorporated vermicelli and PF stored under both refrigerated and ambient conditions.