Effect of Apple (Malus domestica) Pulp Incorporation on the Sensory Quality of Buffalo Milk Shrikhand: A Traditional Indian Dairy Dessert

Abstract

Incorporation of fruit pulp into traditional fermented dairy products has attracted increasing attention as a natural approach to improving sensory quality and consumer acceptability. This study evaluated the effect of graded levels of apple (Malus domestica) pulp incorporation on the sensory quality of buffalo milk Shrikhand and identified the optimum incorporation level. Fresh buffalo milk was standardized, pasteurized, fermented using a mixed starter culture and converted into chakka, which served as the base material for Shrikhand preparation. Ten formulations were prepared, comprising a control (0% apple pulp) and nine treatments containing 17–33% apple pulp, while the sugar concentration was maintained at 30% in all formulations. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with three independent replications. Sensory attributes, including colour and appearance, flavour, texture, and taste, were evaluated by a semi-trained panel using a nine-point hedonic scale. Data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and differences among treatments were considered significant at P < 0.05. Apple pulp incorporation significantly (P < 0.05) influenced all sensory attributes of buffalo milk Shrikhand. Sensory scores increased with apple pulp incorporation up to 23%, whereas higher incorporation levels (31–33%) resulted in reduced sensory quality. The highest scores for colour and appearance (8.46 ± 0.40), flavour (8.29 ± 0.27), texture (7.99 ± 0.11), and taste (7.79 ± 0.13) were obtained in treatment T4 containing 23% apple pulp. These findings demonstrate that incorporation of 23% apple pulp provided the optimum balance of colour, flavour, texture and taste, thereby enhancing the overall sensory quality of buffalo milk Shrikhand. The study supports the use of apple pulp as a natural ingredient for developing value-added traditional dairy products with improved sensory quality and greater consumer acceptability.