Effect of synthetic antioxidants on storage stability of Khoa

443 Khoa is a popular indigenous semi-solid milk product which is prepared by thermal evaporation of milk to 65-70% solids in an open pan. The food value of khoa is very high as it contains fairly large quantities of protein, fat, lactose and bone-forming minerals, especially calcium. It is usually used for direct consumption or as a base material for sweets preparation in the Indo-Pak subcontinent. Storage life of khoa is only two to three days, under ambient conditions and 15-20 days under refrigerated conditions. Though khoa is prepared in great abundance, no measures have been made to increase its storage life. Since, the temperature during summer is very high in the Indo-Pak sub-continent, methods for increasing the storage life of khoa will be very beneficial. Thus, researchers at Food and Biotechnology Research Centre, PCSIR Laboratories Complex, Lahore, Pakistan carried out studies to improve the storage life of khoa using synthetic antioxidants. Effect of synthetic antioxidants on storage stability of freshly prepared khoa was evaluated. Free fatty acids (FFA), peroxide value (POV) and iodine values (IV) were used to assess the development of rancidity during 30 days of storage of khoa at 25 and 45°C. Butylated hydroxy anisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) were added to freshly prepared khoa to extend the storage life. After 30 days of storage at 45°C, freshly prepared khoa containing 200 ppm of BHA and BHT showed lower values of FFA (0.066%, 0.058%) and POVs (23.0 and 21.0 meq/ kg) than the control samples (FFA 0.320%, Legumes have a very important place in human diet. Rice bean [Vigna umbellata (Thumb.)Ohwi & Ohashi] is used for human consumption in the form of dhal. The scientists at Department of Human Development, Home Science College and Research Institute, Madurai and Directorate of Extension Education, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India have investigated possibilities of increasing the utilization of rice bean for food and industrial purposes. Recipes were standardized by using 100% of the