Ranking of the Novel Food Product Millet Cake Developed from Banana Pseudo Stem (Musa acuminata) through MAPH and TOPSIS Method

Background: In today’s world people are consuming sweets and cakes that are loaded with lots of sugar and refined flour which leads to various diseases such as PCOS, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, atherosclerosis, chronic kidney diseases, etc. The primary objective of this research is to develop a nutrient-rich food product, assess its sensory attributes using a 9-point rating scale, the ranking procedure by MAHP (Means of Analytical Hierarchy Process) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Methods: Procurement and standardisation were done for the raw materials and product is developed. Through the implementation of banana pseudo stem powder, pearl millet flour, ragi flour, dried blueberries and sunflower seeds as the primary raw ingredients, supplemented with eggs, date powder, vanilla extract, milk powder, baking powder, figs, almonds and cashews, a healthy food product (millet cake) is developed without using sugar to satisfy the cravings of eating sweet desserts and the main goal was to enhance both flavour and nutritional value of the product. Result: Sensory evaluation was done for four different samples and it has been observed that sample D containing (45 g pearl millet flour, 10 g ragi flour, 10 g banana pseudo stem powder, 20 g egg and 15 g dry fruits along with seeds and berries) surpasses the other samples across all parameters. The results of MAHP and TOPSIS also shows that the sample D is best rank. In this research a gluten-free, nutritionally fortified food product is developed that is rich in dietary fiber (14.28 g), contains high amount of protein (12.18 g) and (458 kcal) calories. As per the RDA 2020 the developed product is a rich source of minerals such as iron and calcium.