Dairy Waste Valorization: Development of Ghee Residue-Based Snack Using Response Surface Methodology

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to investigate the possibility of utilizing by-products obtained from the production of heat-clarified milk fat, i.e., ghee residue, for the preparation of value-added dairy-based snacks. Method For the optimization of ingredients, face centred design (FCD) model of response surface methodology (RSM) was used. Ingredients like rice flour (95-105%), skim milk powder (SMP) (30-40%), salt (3-3.5%), and spices (3.5-4.5%) were added to the ghee residue for the preparation of the ghee residue-based snack (GRBS). The effect of microwave treatment (95-105 s) was studied to optimize the processing condition and shelf-life evaluation of product was also conducted. Result The highest desirability of 0.907 was obtained for the combination with 100.14% rice flour, 36.03% SMP, 3.5% salt, and 4.37% spices with a microwave baking time of 100 s. The textural analysis of GRBS showed hardness, cutting strength and cohesiveness values of 54405.67g, 21.038N and 0.569g, respectively. Compositional analysis showed that the optimized GRBS had 7.88% moisture, 15.84% fat, 50.31% protein, 21.84% carbohydrate, 18.95% lactose, 2.23% salt (NaCl), and 4.13% ash and superior sensory attributes. Conclusion The prepared GRBS had shelf life of 8 days at room temperature. The prepared snacks present a sustainable and efficient strategy for converting dairy by-products into high-value functional foods.