Development of a Nutritious Instant Fig–Banana Pancake Premix Powder: Formulation, Nutritional, Sensory and Cost Evaluation

An instant fig–banana pancake premix powder was developed as a convenient, nutrient-dense breakfast alternative to conventional refined-flour pancake mixes. Four formulations, including a control, were prepared by blending wheat flour with fig powder, banana powder, dates powder, jaggery powder, baking powder and cardamom powder in varying proportions. A structured consumer survey (n = 52) was conducted to assess awareness, purchase behaviour and attitudes toward fruit-based pancake premixes. The optimised formulation (5 g fig powder, 15 g banana powder, 50 g wheat flour, 15 g dates powder, 10 g jaggery powder, 2.5 g baking powder and 2.5 g cardamom powder per 100 g premix) was evaluated for proximate composition and sensory acceptability. The product contained 62.4 g carbohydrate, 5.2 g protein, 1.1 g fat and 7.4 g dietary fibre per 100 g, with 8.7% moisture and 3.8% ash. Sensory evaluation using a 9-point hedonic scale (n = 25 panellists) gave high mean scores for appearance (8.36), flavour (8.46), consistency (8.18), absence of defects (8.16) and overall acceptability (8.46); one-way ANOVA confirmed significant differences among sensory attributes (p < 0.05). The estimated production cost was ₹26.30 per 100 g, supporting a suggested retail price of ₹32 per 100 g. The results indicate that the fig–banana pancake premix combines appreciable dietary fibre, natural sweetness and favourable sensory quality with a commercially viable cost structure, making it a promising candidate for small-scale functional-food production.