Production of a novel instant jute mallow powder using foam mat drying technology

Abstract

ABSTRACT Jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius L) leaf is sensitive to heat, and conventional processing, preservation, and storage procedures cause reduction in nutritional and physicochemical properties. There is a need to process jute mallow leaf with minimal loss in nutritional and physicochemical qualities. Effects of foam-mat drying, using glyceryl monostearate (GMS), on physical, chemical, sensory, and nutritional qualities of jute mallow leaf were evaluated. There was no difference between jute leaf foam mat (FM)-dried with 10% GMS (FM2) and FM-dried with 15% GMS (FM3) in tapped bulk density, wettability in hot water, and measure of greenness. The FM2 had better activation energy, solubility, measure of lightness, and sensory properties than FM3 and the sample foam mat-dried with 5% GMS. Vitamin C, thiamine, alkaloid, and flavonoid of foam mat-dried jute mallow samples increased with increasing level of GMS, while foam density decreased. Foam-mat drying could protect nutritional and physicochemical properties of jute mallow and enhance its utilization beyond traditional culinary level.