Standardization, characterization and storage stability of curry leaf chutney

Abstract

Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) or 'Kadipatta' is an important leaf-spice used in curries, pickles and chutneys as a natural flavoring. Curry leaf is a rich source of fibers, minerals and vitamins such as calcium, iron, phosphorus and carotene, niacin, vitamin B2 and vitamin C. The present study aimed to standardize the Curry leaf chutney, assess its nutritional value and study the storage stability of the product in a suitable packaging material under ambient temperature (15-35°C) conditions for a period of 90 days. Preparation of Curry leaf chutney was standardized using roasted Bengal gram (40%), Black gram (20%), dried curry leaves (10%) roasted in 10% oil and spice mix (30%) . The product had a low moisture content of 2.57%, was rich in protein (20.01%) and carbohydrates (56.99%). Sorption studies indicated that the critical moisture content for the product was found to be 9.79%, which corresponded to 68% RH indicating non- hygroscopic nature. Storage studies conducted in PET/Metallized polyester/Polythene pouches under ambient temperature (15-35°C) conditions for a period of 90 days indicted that the overall acceptability scores for product ranged from 8.7 (excellent) to 8.2 (very good), the tintometer colour units of Red varied from 3.3 to 3.8 units while units for yellow and blue constant. TBA values for the product also remained low indicting no rancidity development. Microbial analysis showed that an increase in the rate of growth of ACC was observed after 75 days of storage in PET/Metpoly /PE samples.