Enhancement of the nutritional value of whey drink by supplementing with leaves of Moringa oleifera

Abstract

The effect of supplementing Moringa oleifera leaf powder (MOLP) on the nutritional and sensory characteristics of whey drink was investigated. Whey drink was supplemented with MOLP at four different concentrations i.e., 1% MOLP (T1), 2% MOLP (T2) 3% MOLP (T3) 4% MOLP (T 4) and compared with a control (TA The addition of MOLP at any level did not have a negative effect on pH and acidity of whey drink. Iron content of T4 increased from 0.17 to 115 mg/100 mL, total phenolic content of MOLP was 7.4 g/100 g on dry weight basis (gallic acid). Vitamin C increased from 1.46 to 2.20 mg/100 g in T4. The overall acceptability score of T4 was 6.9 out 9 (total score) which was more than 76%. These results suggest that nutritional value of whey can be increased by supplementing with 4% dry leaves of M oleifera in the form of a whey based drink with acceptable sensory characteristics.