Abstract:
Micronutrient deficiencies cause severe
health problems in Sri Lanka as well as in the
global context. Moringa oleifera Lam.
(Moringa) is a rich source of micro and
macro nutrients. Present consumers seek
convenience in food preparation. Therefore,
a study was conducted to develop an instant
vegetarian soup powder containing moringa
dried leaf powder. Four moringa soup
powder formulae with different moringa leaf
powder contents (w/w) viz., 12%, 16%, 20%
and 22% were produced. A sensory
evaluation was carried out to assess the
consumer acceptance for colour, texture,
taste, aroma, viscosity, overall acceptability
and purchasing intention using a Nine Point
Hedonic scale. The sensory attributes of the
best treatment were compared with two
locally available commercial instant vegetarian soup powders, M1 and M2. The
formula with 12% moringa dried leaf
powder showed the highest mean scores for
all the sensory attributes and was
significantly different from other treatments.
It also recorded no significant differences in
terms of sensory attributes, except for colour
and aroma, when compared to M1 and M2.
Further, the new soup formula scored higher
mean scores, albeit non-significant, than M2
for texture, taste, aroma, overall
acceptability and purchasing intention. The
shelf life studies during a 12-month storage
at ambient conditions (32±2°C, 56±2% RH)
in polypropylene primary packages, with
Kraft paper bags lined with polypropylene
used as secondary package, showed no
significant changes in pH (5.30 to 5.48) and
moisture content (7.9 – 8.6%) while the
microbial contamination was considerably
lower (4.7 × 102 CFU g-1) than the permitted
limit.
