Process Standardization for Development of Spray-Dried Lemon Juice Powder and Optimization of Amla-Lemon Based RTS (Ready-to-Serve) Drink Using Response Surface Methodology

Abstract

Lemon juice powder was obtained from its juice under optimized conditions by spray drying with maltodextrin at 10, 15 and 20% levels. The effect of inlet temperatures of 125, 150, 175 and 200C and maltodextrin levels on the physicochemical properties, total phenolic content (TPC) and diphenyl picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity of spray-dried lemon juice powder was studied. Spray-dried lemon juice powder was incorporated with spray-dried amla juice powder (processing conditions optimized in previous reported work) to develop a dry mix for ready-to-serve (RTS) drink along with citric acid and glucose. Spray-dried lemon juice powder was used to enhance the acceptability and nutritive value of amla-based RTS fruit drink. The amla-lemon based RTS drink had good nutritional quality and TPC. Refrigerated storage with nitrogen flushing prevented color change and reduced TPC and DPPH loss. The optimized product got good scores on sensory evaluation. Practical Applications Amla and lemon fruits are known for their health benefits. The present investigation studied the effect of spray drying conditions on total phenolic content and DPPH* radical scavenging activity of the spray-dried lemon powder. Spray-dried lemon powder may be used for further product development and also to enrich the functional and nutritive properties of the food. The present investigation also optimized the amla-lemon based RTS drink and also studied the storage stability of the developed RTS drink.