Exploring the nutritional benefits of a ready-to-eat vegan sandwich filler developed with tender jackfruit, seaweed, banana blossom and soy flour: Formulation and quality analysis

• Veganism and busy routines drive demand for plant-based, ready-to-eat foods. • Tender jackfruit, banana blossom, and seaweed are underutilized in Sri Lanka. • Negative perception and underuse of seaweed are addressed favorably. • Extends shelf life with retort processing, ensuring safety and quality. • Supports health-conscious consumers with high protein, fiber, and antioxidants. This study was conducted to develop a ready-to-eat vegan sandwich filler using tender jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), banana blossom (Musa spp. acuminata), seaweed (Ulva fasciata), which are underutilized in Sri Lanka and soy flour. Sensory analysis was conducted to select the most acceptable formulation. The colour, pH, texture, proximate composition, antioxidants, phytochemicals, elemental composition including heavy metals, fatty acid composition, rancidity (Thiobarbituric Acid value and Peroxide value), and microbiological quality of the selected product were analyzed. The product formula consist of tender jackfruit (30 %), sea weeds (25 %), banana blossom (15 %), and soy flour (10 %) as major ingredients. Selected formula had 76.83±0.29 % moisture, 6.25±0.14 % protein, 5.82±0.15 % fat, 4.99±0.26 % fiber, 4.10±0.08 % carbohydrates and 2.01±0.01 % ash. The DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50 value), ABTS value, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were as 29.441.07 mg/ml, 16.97±1.67 μmol(TE)/mg, 3.09±0.22 μg(GAE)/mg and 7.01±3.15 μg(QE)/mg respectively. This product is safe to be consumed due to absence of heavy metals in ppm levels. The fatty acid analysis revealed that the product consists, polyunsaturated (10.43 %), monounsaturated (13.08 %) and saturated (76.49 %) fatty acids. No detectable microbial growth was observed during the two month storage period at room temperature.