Abstract:
Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) is an important tropical herb with proven health benefits which has an
enormous potential to be used in functional food applications. The present study aimed to find out the effect of the
addition of W. somnifera root powder (WSRP) on the compositional, physicochemical, physical, functional and
sensory properties of cow milk. Skimmed and standardized (3% fat) milk were separately fortified with WSRP at
the rate of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2 percent levels, well mixed and pasteurized (63°C for 30 min) ending up in 10
treatments. 2 x 5 (milk type x WSRP level) factorial arrangement of treatments in a completely randomized
design was used with 3 replicates and SPSS (ver. 20) was used for the data analysis. Significant (p<0.05) reduction
of rennet coagulation time (RCT) was observed with increasing WSRP percentage irrespective of the type of milk.
Standardized milk had significantly (p<0.05) lower RCT than skimmed milk. Instrumental colour values were
significantly (p<0.05) affected by the added WSRP in both milk types while fermentation characteristics were not
affected. Sensory scores were decreased with increasing levels of WSRP in both milk types due mainly to the
sedimentation effect. From the above results, it is concluded that a possibility exists to fortify milk with WSRP
and produce functional fermented dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt. Nevertheless, studies are needed
with other forms of W. somnifera such as root powder extract to reduce the impact of sedimentation.
