Formulation and Syrup-Soaking Effects on Sensory Quality and Physical Characteristics of Chhanabara

Chhanabara is a traditional fried chhana-based sweet whose quality depends on formulation and syrup-soaking conditions. This study evaluated the effects of whole wheat flour, baking powder, dough sugar, syrup concentration, soaking temperature and immersion duration on its sensory characteristics and described the physicochemical and textural attributes of the characterised product. Separate screening trials examined flour addition at 10, 15 and 20%; baking powder at 0, 1 and 2%; dough sugar at 2, 5 and 8%; syrup concentration at 50, 60 and 70%; soaking temperature at 70, 80 and 90 °C; and immersion duration at 0.5, 1 and 2 h. Eight semi-trained assessors evaluated colour and appearance, body and texture, flavour, and overall acceptability on a nine-point hedonic scale. The highest sensory responses within the respective trials were obtained with 15% flour, no baking powder and 5% dough sugar. A syrup concentration of 60%, soaking temperature of 80 °C and immersion duration of 1 h were also preferred in separate assessments. Across frying and soaking, mean diameter increased from 3.41 to 4.89 cm and mean mass from 16.7 to 36.3 g. The characterised product contained 22.13% moisture, 21.06% fat and 18.72% protein, with overall acceptability of 8.33 ± 0.15 and hardness of 19.923 ± 0.068 N. These findings identify favourable individual conditions; their combined effects require further validation.