STUDIES ON DIFFERENT DRYING METHODS AND PACKAGING MATERIAL ON STORABILITY OF JAMUN PULP POWDER

The study envisaged the shelf life and sensory quality of jamun pulp powder using different drying methods and packaging materials.Pulp without seeds was dried using cabinet drying (C 1 ) and microwave oven drying (C 2 ), powdered and packaged in five materials viz., LDPE pouches (P 1 ), aluminium foil pouches (P 2 ), metallised polyester polyethylene laminated pouches (MPE) (P 3 ), PET jars (P 4 ) and glass jars (P 5 ).The Factorial Completely Randomized Design (FCRD) with 10 treatment combinations and three replications was employed for observing physicochemical changes every 30 days interval over 180 days.Findings revealed that, increase in moisture, TSS, total and reducing sugars, polyphenols, tannins and antioxidants, while pH, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and non-reducing sugars declined over the time.Microwave oven drying with aluminium foil pouches (C 2 P 2 ) preserved quality parameters best, achieving the highest storability, sensory acceptability and economic feasibility with a Benefit Cost Ratio of 4.31 followed by treatment C 2 P 3 (microwave oven drying with MPE pouches).