Indian Cottage Research Articles

Addressing spoilage monitoring in packaged paneer (Indian cottage cheese): Lac dye-based intelligent indicator as an innovative solution

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.

Investigation of the dehydration and rehydration behavior of osmotic pretreated paneer slices (Indian cottage cheese) and its modeling approach

AbstractThe study aimed to investigate the impact of the osmotic effect on the drying and rehydration of paneer. The paneer slices were pre‐treated with salt at seven different concentrations and surface treatments. The osmotic solution and product ratio was taken as 1:4 and the pretreatment time was fixed as 12 h. Weight loss (WL), solute gain (SG), and weight reduction (WR) of paneer were evaluated during osmotic pretreatment. The pretreated paneer was dried at 50°C in a tray dryer. The equilibrium moisture content of dried slices varied from 14.12% to 15.86% and the moisture diffusivity of the osmotic treated samples had a better result with maximum value of 4.76 × 10−8 m2/s. The osmotic pretreatment minimized the drying time of paneer. The Midilli model revealed the best fit for drying paneer slices with R2 value >.99. Rehydration was carried out at three different temperatures at 4, 28, and 100°C. The samples rehydrated at 28°C showed better results in terms of the rehydration ratio with a maximal value of 1.85. In model investigation, the Peleg, Exponential, and Weibull model was found good fit for samples rehydrated at 4, 28, and 100°C. The osmotic pretreatment impacted positively on the quality matrices such as color retention, drying time, nutritional profile, and rehydration ratio of paneer slices. However, the higher osmotic pretreatments above 12% recorded unacceptable salty flavor.Practical applicationsThe stability of paneer is limited and it requires refrigeration facility to store the paneer which is a frailty factor in supply chain cycle of dairy industries. In current practices, the high‐cost freeze drying technique was used to dry the paneer to make as shelf stable. The conventional drying techniques would not suit for drying the paneer, that alters the characteristics of paneer. The research findings will improve the characteristics of dried paneer in conventional dryer and hence, it is viable to make the shelf stable paneer at low cost. This research would make an alternative approach to manufacture the shelf stable and ready to eat paneer.

Systematic evaluations and integration of Assam indigenous Joha rice starch in intelligent packaging films for monitoring food freshness using beetroot extract

It is becoming increasingly important to have starch sources with different physicochemical properties to meet the needs of new applications in food, packaging, bioplastic, and pharmaceutical industries. The first part of this study dealt with the isolation of starch from culturally, geographically, nutritionally esteemed, and high-yielding Assam Joha rice. Fine and uniform particle size (6.3 ± 0.09 μm), high amylose content (28 ± 1.03 %), swelling behavior, viscoelastic rheological behavior, moderate gelatinization temperature (66 ± 1.7 °C), thermostable nature, type A crystallographic pattern with high (45 ± 3.3 %) crystallinity, and suitable microbial quality make the Joha rice derived starch physico-chemically and functionally suitable for potential applications in diverse domains. The latter part of the study focuses on one of the applications of derived starch as a suitable matrix for intelligent packaging films with the incorporation of betanin-enriched beetroot extract (BRE) as a bio-based pH sensor. The addition of 1.0 % w/v BRE to the starch film (starch-BRE III) significantly increased its functionality by reducing UV–visible light transmittance and water vapor permeability, along with enhancing flexibility and hydrophobicity due to intermolecular bonding between BRE and the starch film matrix. Moreover, starch-BRE films with different BRE concentrations were successfully used to monitor the real-time freshness of white meat (chicken and fish) and Indian cottage cheese samples. Overall, the results indicated that starch-BRE III has great potential as an intelligent packaging material for monitoring food freshness.

Development of a parallel plate capacitive sensor‐based system for assessing the quality of Paneer (Indian cottage cheese)

AbstractA parallel plate capacitive (PPC) sensor‐based system is proposed to estimate the Paneer quality as well as to detect adulteration in the Paneer by measuring the dielectric properties of the Paneer. The experimentation on a developed system with various types of Paneer showed that it could characterize Paneer quality in terms of its fat content by preparing it with the addition of skimmed milk powder (SMP) and adulteration with palmolein oil. The results depict that the capacitance of pure buffalo milk Paneer was highest (192.58 μF) and that the capacitance value decreased with increasing SMP content in the Paneer (or decreasing fat content), with the lowest value obtained for 100% SMP Paneer (75.37 μF). It can be observed that the accuracy of the device in detecting various categories of Paneer is significant (>80%). Specificity of the device to detect negative as true negative is also significantly high for all the categories (>0.85).Practical applicationsConventional methods for estimating quality of dairy products are tedious, destructive, and require high‐end laboratory equipment. Therefore, a rapid, non‐destructive, and economical tool was needed. The present work details the development of dielectric capacitive sensor‐based system that can non‐destructively characterize Paneer and is efficient in detecting the adulteration in Paneer in terms of skim milk powder or vegetable oil. There is scope of using the developed system as a guideline for further study on other traditional dairy products such as chhana, yoghurt, condensed milk, khoa and so forth.

Chitosan film with pineapple peel extract in the extension of shelf life of Indian cottage cheese: Release kinetics and bio-accessibility studies

Pineapple-peel-based chitosan film was employed to extend the shelf life of Indian Cottage Cheese, commonly termed “paneer” in the Indian subcontinent. Pineapple peel extracts (PPE) at 3 different concentrations (1–3 %) were incorporated into the chitosan matrix. In comparison to control samples (unpacked paneer), packaged paneer samples exhibited reduced weight loss, lipid peroxidation, and pH changes. The microbiological shelf life of paneer got extended till 9th day at 4 °C when packaged in chitosan-PPE films. Korsmeyer-Peppas’s model suggested that the release of polyphenols from the chitosan-PPE film followed Fickian diffusion.As per sensory evaluation on a 9-point hedonic scale, packaged paneer samples were superior in juiciness, texture, color, flavor, and overall acceptability compared to unpackaged paneer samples. As compared to the control sample (CS), the overall acceptance was higher for the film with 1 % pineapple peel extract (CS PPE 1), followed by films with 2 % and 3 % pineapple peel extracts (CS-PPE 2 and CS-PPE 3). The bio-accessibility study utilized the dynamic gastric model to simulate digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract and revealed 40–60 % recovery rate of polyphenols from the chitosan-pineapple peel film.

Influence of nisin on water activity, textural and other quality attributes of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) during storage

Paneer is a traditional Indian heat-acid coagulated dairy product with a limited shelf life. Various techniques are adapted to enhance the paneer`s shelf life. Nisin is a well-known bacteriocin used as a bio-preservative in various food products. Paneer was prepared from raw milk standardised to 4.5% Fat and 8.5% SNF. Nisin was added in heated milk during the preparation of paneer @ 12 ppm (w/v), optimised by antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus using the agar well diffusion method. The proximate composition of paneer samples ranged between 24.09-24.16, 19.75–19.83, 53.15–53.45, 1.46–1.51, and 1.25–1.35% for fat, protein, moisture, ash, and lactose, respectively. Paneer treated with nisin exhibited better quality in terms of physico-chemical, microbiological, textural, and sensory attributes during 15 days of storage at 7 ± 1°C in a 3-layer laminated vacuum-packed film. The shelf life of nisin-added paneer samples was 15 days, whereas control samples only showed a shelf-life of 9 days.

Predictive microbial growth modelling for an effective shelf-life extension strategy of Chhana (Indian cottage cheese)

Predictive microbial growth modelling for an effective shelf-life extension strategy of Chhana (Indian cottage cheese)

Influence of Machine Parameters and Coagulant on the Textural Properties of Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese)

Paneer is an acid coagulated concentrated indigenous Indian dairy product. The texture of paneer manufactured from a developed automatic machine was studied with respect to the processing parameters such as coagulation temperature (70–90°C), pressure (0.3–0.6 MPa), types of coagulant (vinegar and citric acid), and milk (cow, buffalo, and full cream milk). The paneer samples were analysed for texture profile analysis of hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, gumminess, chewiness, and cohesiveness. An inscribed central composite design was used to optimize the desired textural characteristics of paneer such as minimum hardness and maximum springiness of paneer. The optimization result concluded that the full cream milk at the coagulation temperature of 88°C with citric acid at pneumatic pressure of 0.3 MPa would result on minimum hardness of 105.84 N and the springiness value of 0.6073, and the result was validated.

Dielectric spectroscopy‐based characterisation of different types of Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) in terms of texture, microstructure and functional groups

Different variants of Paneer were prepared with cow milk (CM), buffalo milk (BM), skimmed milk powder (SMP) and blends (40:60, 50:50, 60:40) of SMP with CM/BM. The Paneer composition, texture, microstructure and spread of functional groups were correlated with the dielectric capacitance values. Results depicted a strong correlation (R2 > 0.95) between milk used for Paneer making and its proximate composition in terms of the capacitance value, and it was highest for CM followed by BM; 100% SMP Paneer recorded lowest values. Paneer made from blends of SMP and liquid milk had the lowest transmittance value, indicating higher total protein content.

Effect of ionic silver solution on Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) quality and shelf life

The aim of this study was to extend the shelf life of Paneer using ionic silver solution (ISS). ISS was prepared using the electrochemical method and characterised. ISS with 17 mg/L was selected, based on colour stability and added along with coagulant during Paneer preparation. Its effect on the quality parameters and shelf life of Paneer was evaluated. ISS significantly (P ˂ 0.05) delayed acidity development, free fatty acid production and microbial growth during storage of Paneer, while it had no significant effect on the textural quality of Paneer. ISS treatment extended the shelf life of Paneer from 12 to 18 days at 6 ± 1°C.

A Persian Perception of Two French Stories

ABSTRACT Modern Persian fiction initially emerged in Iran through translation of western literature, especially from French. The translation movement in Iran was simultaneous with the emergence of Romanticism in Europe; therefore, writers of this literary school are outstanding in translation of western literature into Persian. Using a descriptive, analytic, and comparative method, this article attempts to make a comparison between Bernardin de Saint-Pierre’s Le Café de Surate (Coffee House of Surat) and La Chaumière Indienne (Indian Cottage) and Mīrzā Āqā Khān Kermānī’s Haftād o do Mellat (Seventy-Two Nations). Motivated by Pierre’s broad worldview, Kermānī found intellectual and spiritual affinity with his attitude and translated two of his stories into Persian. Despite the popularity of romance stories among Persian readers, Kermānī was not quite successful to sustain the attraction of Pierre’s original stories in his adaptation due to his lack of acquaintance with modern fiction and scientific methods of translation, revolutionary zeal, extreme Iranian nationalism, religious prejudice, and manipulative outlook on literature Nevertheless, his good translation choice and its due time period gave him a special place in the realm of Persian fiction and also introduced de Saint-Pierre’s works to the Iranians.

Evaluation of whey protein concentrate as a functional ingredient on quality of goat milk rasogolla - an Indian dessert

In the literature, a variety of dairy products are made from goat milk; however, information related to the manufacture of rasogolla from goat milk is very scant. During preliminary trials, it was observed that chhena prepared from goat milk was not suitable for the preparation of rasogolla because it has a very soft and sticky body that is difficult to handle. Therefore, this investigation was conducted to formulate an acceptable quality goat milk rasogolla using whey protein concentrate (WPC) as a functional ingredient. Chhena (also known as Indian cottage cheese, a heat- and acid-coagulated indigenous dairy product) was prepared from fresh Surati goat milk (3.5% fat/8.5% milk solids-not-fat (MSNF). Twelve batches of rasogolla were prepared from chhena coagulated at three temperatures viz. 75, 80 and 85⁰C containing WPC at 4 levels (i.e., 0, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75% w/w of milk). Rasogolla prepared from chhena containing 0.50% WPC in milk and coagulated at 80°C was preferred the most with respect to all the sensory attributes evaluated. It had significantly (P<0.05) highest sucrose content, i.e., 35.73% and a higher sugar absorption ratio, i.e., 2.63, compared to all the other experimental samples. The composition of drained samples of goat milk rasogolla was as follows: moisture 50.07%; protein 7.04%; fat 6.44%; ash 0.45% and sucrose 35.73%. The pH was 6.34 and acidity was 0.76% lactic acid. Based on the results obtained in this study, a method was developed for the preparation of acceptable quality goat milk chhena and rasogolla.

Effect of Nisin on the Quality and Shelf-Life of Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese)

Effect of Nisin on the Quality and Shelf-Life of Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese)

From Home-produced to Store-bought- How Lifes Changing: Consumption of Milk and Milk Products through Decades

Aims: This study aimed present a comprehensive picture of trends in the consumption pattern of milk and milk products with the objective to determine the shift in their consumption through different decades and locations. 
 Study Design: Cross-sectional study
 Methodology: The study was conducted in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. The sample population comprised of both male and female subjects between the age group of 15 years to 55 onwards. The respondents were categorized into three age groups range as- 15-35 years, 36-55 years, and above 56 years. Starting from the age of 5 years, each age group is also categorized decade-wise. Being descriptive in nature the study was carried out through a field survey method using face-to-face interviews. 
 Results: The results showed that during earlier decades, milk was consumed daily by the majority of the population depending upon the fact that it was produced by the domesticated cattle and easily available. However, a high frequency of daily consumption was observed among the 15-35 years of age group, though it was more of purchased from store or dairy. Curd, however, was earlier prepared by milk produced at home, now mostly prepared at home from milk bought from stores or dairy. The practice of preparing buttermilk and butter/ghee milk products daily from the milk produced by domesticated cattle is experiencing a great drop, especially in the rural areas. Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) has got popular in the past few decades, though its consumption is highly dependent upon the location and economic condition of the household. 
 Conclusion: There is a great need for promoting cattle rearing and dairy farming for increasing production and consumption of home-produced healthy products from milk. Making people aware of the dietary requirements of milk and milk products during various life stages is also of prime importance.

Production and quality improvement of Indian cottage cheese (Paneer) using high pressure processing

Paneer, a product of India similar to cottage cheese, was prepared from cow's milk heat-treated (90 °C/5 min) (HTMP) or high-pressure (HP) treated (500 MPa/15 min) (HPPMP) for achieving pasteurization. HTMP and HPPMP paneer samples were HP treated (500 MPa for 15 min) again after vacuum packaging to get HTMP/HPP and HPPMP/HPP samples, respectively. The third set of samples were obtained by dipping HTMP and HPPMP paneer samples in 2% lactic acid solution and then subjecting them to the same HP treatment and stamped as HTMP/LA/HPP and HPPMP/LA/HPP, respectively. All six types of vacuum-packed paneer were studied for changes in moisture, acidity, pH, color, texture, and microbiological quality during storage at 5 ± 1 °C and 25 ± 1 °C. High-pressure treatment of milk increased the yield of paneer significantly (P < 0.05) from 13.9 ± 0.59% (HTMP) to 18.2 ± 0.32% (HPPMP). Paneer treated with lactic acid and high-pressure treatment (HTMP/LA/HPP and HPPMP/LA/HPP) had higher textural stability than HTMP, HTMP/HPP, HPPMP, and HPPMP/HPP for up to 28 days, but had a reduced moisture content, higher acidity, and lower whiteness index. High-pressure treatment of vacuum-packed paneer (HTMP/HPP and HPPMP/HPP) led to the formation of a more compact paneer matrix (higher hardness), higher moisture expulsion, and yellowness (b*). Thus, high-pressure processing of paneer could pave paths for extending paneer shelf-life without any additives and thermal treatment.

“A more dreadful punishment Draco himself could not devise”: Loss of Caste in Anglo-Indian Fiction, 1790–1823

ABSTRACT In response to the activities of the Baptist and Church Missionary Societies in India, British representations of Hindu loss of caste, a supposed consequence of Christian conversion, increased in the early nineteenth century. Loss of caste, or Brahmanical excommunication, entailed a denial of family, occupation, and/or social standing among Hindus. In British discourse near the turn of the century, it transformed from a reason to prevent missions to East India Company territories into evidence for the barbarism of Hinduism, and therefore a justification for conversion. This article supplies a much-needed investigation of its importance to fictions of the British Empire. By considering loss of caste in Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre’s The Indian Cottage (1791), Marianna Starke’s The Widow of Malabar (1796), Robert Southey’s The Curse of Kehama (1810), Mary Martha Sherwood’s Indian novellas, and Sydney Owenson’s The Missionary (1811), this article demonstrates that loss of caste, like sati, was both a narratological trope that routinely portrayed Hinduism as severe and a significant political issue that may have helped facilitate the utilitarian shift in British colonialism near the turn of the century.

Effect of milk composition on sensory attributes and instrumental properties of Indian Cottage Cheese (Chhana)

This study investigated the effect of milk composition (cow-, buffalo-, and mixed- milk) on color, textural, rheological, microstructural and sensorial attributes of chhana (Indian cottage cheese). Principle component analysis and cluster analysis were used to correlate the quality attributes. Instrumental properties and sensorial descriptors for chhana that contributed most to the textural and sensory attributes were identified. Chhana containing 100% and 75% cow milk were found to have similar sensory attributes whereas chhana containing 100% and 75% buffalo milk had similar mechanical attributes.

Modelling and optimization of process parameters for production of desiccated Chhana-murki (Indian cottage cheese-based dessert).

In the present study, process parameters were optimized for the production of desiccated chhana-murki (Indian cottage cheese-based dessert). Response Surface Methodology (RSM)was employed to explore the mutual effects of coagulation temperature (CT) of milk (70-90°C), % fat level in milk (3.5%-5.5%), and sugar-to-paneer cube (SP) ratio (0.6-0.9) on instrumental hardness (N), water activity (aw), yield (%), sensory sweetness and overall acceptability (on 100-point intensity scale) of chhana-murki. The resulted responses were evaluated by analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the second-order polynomial response surface equations were fitted using multiple regression analysis. Determination coefficients (R 2) were equal to 80% or higher for individual responses stated that the developed models were well fitted to the experimental results. The optimized product was prepared using CT 79.22°C, milk fat 4.8%, and SP ratio 0.7. Confirmatory experiment values for instrument hardness, water activity (aw), yield (%), sensory sweetness and overall acceptability were 105.05N, 0.85, 115.2%, 61.2 and 78.8, respectively.

Studies on Alum as Milk Coagulating Agent in the Manufacture of Paneer – An Indian Cottage Cheese

Alum is a white crystalline double sulphate of aluminum and potassium that is commonly used as an astringent. Utilising its protein binding property, alum was studied as coagulating agent of milk in the preparation of paneer. Paneer is a soft variety of cottage cheese very popular in Indian sub-continent, used in various culinary dishes. Its preparation essentially involves acid coagulation of hot milk and pressing of the hot coagulum to form a compact block which is then cooled by immersing in chilled water. Citric acid and vinegar are commonly used as coagulating agents of milk during paneer manufacture. However, when alum was used as a coagulating agent, it was observed that most of the proteins were amalgamated during coagulation process resulting in enhanced yield of paneer. It also resulted in reduced solids losses in whey. However, use of alum resulted in a slight astringency in paneer, hence it was recommended to be used in combination with common coagulant i.e. citric acid. The solids content (losses) in whey were 6.62, 6.08, and 6.32 %, respectively for citric acid, alum and citric acid + alum mixture used as coagulating agents. Similarly, the yields of paneer were 16.42, 19.04 and 16.99 %. The alum coagulated paneer looked glossy and attractive which was indicated by reflectance values of 83.75% as against 79% for control paneer sample. The paneer made by alum coagulation had slightly brittle texture.

Cactus cladode polysaccharide as cryoprotectant in frozen Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese)

The study investigated the optimisation of freezing conditions for Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) incorporated with cactus cladode polysaccharide as cryoprotectant. The freezing rate of both natural and commercial cryoprotectant‐containing samples varied significantly. The optimised (2% natural cryoprotectant) Paneer sample had about 44% moisture content, 14% protein, 16% carbohydrate and 22% fat. Freezing time of optimised Paneer sample packed in metalised polyester was 40 min. The study concluded that Paneer incorporated with 2% cactus cladode polysaccharide, packaged using metalised polyester and frozen with packaged immersion freezing method, had the least freezing time (40 min) and retained better texture during freezing.