MSc

The study entitled “Development of Technology for Preparation of Soft Cheese (Paneer) from Jackfruit Seed Milk” was conducted at the department of Community Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, during the period 2020-2023. The objective of the study was to develop a dairy analogue using jackfruit seed milk and to evaluate its quality and sensory attributes.
Seeds from jackfruit cultivars Varikka and Koozha with two maturity indices (m1) fully ripe, (m2) fully matured, were selected for the study. The jackfruit seeds were manually peeled off using a stainless-steel knife. Seeds were soaked in different soaking media such as (s1) water, (s2) 2% sodium bicarbonate, (s3) 3% sodium hydroxide, (s4) 2% salt water Treatments: 2x2x4 =16, Replication: 3. The seeds from both varieties were cleaned and white arils was peeled off for further processing. The two varieties of seeds with different maturity indices were undergone two heat treatments (h1) steaming, (h2) pressure cooking. Treatments: 2x3= 8, Replication: 3
The extraction of jackfruit seed milk was done by washing and weighing the Pre-processed jackfruit seeds and blend with water (ratio 1:1.5 w/v). The blended mixture was then filtered through cheese cloth into a glass jar, the extracted jackfruit seed milk was stored in refrigerator at 4°C. The screening of the jackfruit seed milk obtained from the 24 treatments were tested for yield ratio, sensory attributes and curd setting properties. The soaking time was standardised to 24 hours. The heat treatments (steaming and pressure cooking) were standardised at 100°C for 20 minutes.
Functional characters like yield ratio, sensory attributes, curd setting of the samples were examined. After statistical analysis of sensory evaluation, yield ratio and curd setting properties of the 24 samples varikka fully ripe soaked in water (v1m1s1) with no heat treatments was chosen as the best milk for the preparation of paneer.
For the preparation of paneer four combinations of milk was extracted (f1) jackfruit seed milk (100%), (f2) jackfruit seed milk (50%) + groundnut milk (50%), (f3) jackfruit seed milk (50%) + soymilk (50%) and (f4) jackfruit seed milk (50%) + soymilk (25%) + groundnut milk (25%) and selection of coagulum for paneer preparation was done. (c1) vinegar, (c2) lemon juice and (c3) 10% citric acid, these combinations were tested for yield ratio sensory evaluation and coagulation. (c1) vinegar had the highest coagulation among the 3 coagulants. jackfruit seed milk (50%) + soy milk (50%) was selected as the best combination for the preparation of paneer.
The preparation of paneer was done by soaking and blending the selected combination and straining it through cheese cloth, extracted milk was coagulated using vinegar and the coagulated mass was collected by keeping weight, the collected paneer was cut into 7-6-inch pieces and immersed in cold water, the paneer was then wrapped in butter paper and stored in polyethylene pouches and refrigerated at ambient temperature.
The quality analysis of the paneer show (9.1g/100g) protein, crude fiber (2.38 %), carbohydrate (1.8 mg/100g), calcium (132.40 g/100mg), fat (3.4 g/100g) moisture content (8.75%) and total solid content (12.17±1.3%) the total bacterial count, total fungal count, total coliform count was accessed using microbiological methods. The presence of bacterial colonies, fungal growth and coliforms was not observed in the initial stage (TLTC) but after one-week bacterial count (43x106), fungal count (42x107) and coliform count (36x102) was detected.
The preparation of the jackfruit seed milk + soy milk paneer is convenient to prepare, nutritious and will becomes more in demand as a diary alternative once introduced to the market therefore jackfruit seed milk paneer is a great choice as a dairy analogue without preservatives and harmful chemicals to target broader consumer base.