Development of Ready-to-Eat functional food prepared from seeded banana Bhimkol (Musa balbisiana Colla) and Black rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to develop a ready-to-eat (RTE) functional food prepared from seeded banana Bhimkol (Musa balbisiana Colla) and Black rice (Oryza sativa L.) Pre-cooked black rice flour was used as the base material to develop a solid and functional food. Honey was used as a sweetener due to its low water activity of 0.6, thereby increasing the shelf-life of the product and also due to its health beneficial properties. The compromised optimal conditions obtained for the development of the RTE functional food were: 40% black rice powder, 30% bhimkol powder, 20% milk, and 10% honey. The optimized product shows the final moisture content of 8.65 ± 0.06%, the protein content of 11.48 ± 0.8%, the fat content of 2.13 ± 0.1%, ash content of 1.81 ± 0.3%, the carbohydrate content of 75.93 ± 0.45%, and the total energy of 368.69 kcal/100 g. The shelf-life study was carried out for a period of 6 weeks, which does not show any significant changes in terms of the sensory attributes. However, there is an increase in moisture content of 11.3%, a decrease in TPC, protein, and ash content of 21.5%, 13.4%, and 12%, respectively.