Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity and Sensory Attributes of Functional Paneer Enriched with Wheatgrass and Moringa

This study focuses on the formulation of functional paneer to meet the growing demand for convenient and health-promoting foods. Functional paneer was developed by incorporating moringa powder and wheatgrass juice. Wheatgrass is highly nutritious and possesses various beneficial properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities. It is known to help in managing conditions ranging from mild illnesses to life-threatening diseases. Moringa is rich in macro and micronutrients and shows diverse pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antidiabetic. Paneer was formulated by incorporating different concentrations of wheatgrass juice (3%, 6%, 9%) and moringa powder (2%, 4%, 6%). The addition of wheatgrass and moringa altered the colour and taste characteristics, which influenced consumer acceptability. Sensory evaluation was conducted, and the WMP1, containing 3% wheatgrass juice and 2% moringa powder received the highest overall acceptability score on the nine-point hedonic scale. The overall acceptability is 8.1±0.54, with 8.15±0.83 for colour 7.9±0.73 for texture, 8.1±0.73 for appearance, 7.9±0.58 for aroma and 7.95±0.72 for taste and were statistically comparable with their control counterparts. There was a significant increase in antioxidant activity was observed. The antioxidant activity of control paneer and paneer incorporated with 3%, 6%, and 9% wheatgrass juice, and 2%, 4%, and 6% moringa powder was 1.07%, 13.35%, 15.77%, and 22.33%, respectively. Although the antioxidant activity of WMP 3 was higher, its overall acceptability decreased due to its bitter taste. The optimal formulation WMP1 was subjected to a paired t test against the control sample. The results indicate a statistically significant preference for WMP1 across all attributes, including overall acceptability (p= 0.0006) confirming it acceptance. The study concluded that adding wheatgrass juice and Moringa powder to paneer resulted in desirable sensory qualities and could provide health benefits due to its high antioxidant activity.