Storage stability of ready-to-serve beverage from mahua (Madhuca indica) flowers

Abstract

A technology to prepare ready-to-serve (RTS) beverage from the dried mahua (Madhuca indica) flowers was standardized. The developed RTS was stored in plastic bottles at ambient (25 ± 2°C) and refrigerated condition (4 ± 2°C) for estimation of shelf-life and biochemical changes during storage. The pH decreased from 5.36 to 3.40 in case of RTS blended with ginger extract @ 10 percent after five months of storage at ambient, while it decreased to 4.46 under refrigerated conditions. The total soluble solids decreased from 18.0 to 14.3°Brix at ambient and 16.16°Brix at refrigerated storage of RTS blended with ginger extract. Similarly, in case of mahua RTS blended with fennel extract @ 5 percent, pH decreased from 5.3 to 3.2 at ambient and 5.26 to 4.13 at refrigerated condition of storage. Total soluble solids decreased from 14.8 to 11.5°Brix at ambient and 14.8 to 13.0°Brix at refrigerated storage of mahua RTS blended with fennel. There was no microbial load detected till three months of storage at ambient and till five months at refrigerated conditions.