Development of Ready to Cook Banana Pseudo Stem Vermicelli Upma Mix with Quality Evaluation

The present research aimed to evaluate the effect of incorporation of commonly discarded part banana pseudo stem (BPS) for the development of ready-to-cook (RTC) vermicelli upma mix. BPS was subjected to preliminary treatment with citric acid solution (0.5%) to prevent an enzymatic browning reaction during the preparation of flour. Vermicelli was prepared by partial substitution of whole wheat flour and semolina with BPS flour at the level of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% (T1, T2, T3 & T4). Effect of incorporation of BPS flour on- the physical, functional and organoleptic properties were studied. Among all the variations tested T3 (20%) was accepted with optimal cooking characteristic hence, taken for preparation of vermicelli BPS upma mix and compared with control. The BPS vermicelli upma mix has got significantly more ash (27.2 g), soluble fiber (2.64 g) and insoluble fiber (15.76 g) and also rich in minerals such as potassium (1203.6 mg %) and calcium (5.72 mg %). It also contained higher antioxidant activity (3.93 mg %), total phenols (583.44 mg GAE %), saponins (291.06 mg %), tannins (4.01 mg %) and flavonoid (165.7 mg %). However, vermicelli upma mix was packed in MMP and LDPE pouches and stored at ambient conditions (25±50C) for a period of six months.