Abstract
The study aimed to develop an intelligent real-time freshness indicator for paneer (Indian cottage cheese) by immobilizing lac dye, a natural anthraquinone dye, in situ on an agarose membrane. The indicator was characterized and evaluated for freshness monitoring of paneer. The indicator exhibited color transition from purple at pH 7 to orange-red at acidic pH (2–5). For evaluation of the indicator, it was placed inside the package headspace containing paneer and stored at ambient (25 ± 1 °C) and refrigerated (8 ± 1 °C) temperatures. Color changes in the indicator showed a correlation with quality parameters and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted during storage of paneer. Initially, the indicator was purple on day 0. However, once the microbial counts in paneer exceeded acceptable limits (on day 1 at 25 ± 1 °C and day 6 at 8 ± 1 °C), indicator's color shifted to orange-red. This color transition effectively categorized paneer as: ‘fresh’, ‘moderately fresh’, and ‘spoiled’. The principal component analysis outcomes confirmed that the changes in the indicator's color were closely aligned with the variations observed in paneer quality parameters. Partial least squares models derived from indicator's color parameter data successfully predicted paneer quality. The study's findings illuminate potential of lac dye-based indicator in non-destructive real-time freshness monitoring of paneer.
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