EFFECT OF ADDITION OF Withania somnifera (ASHWAGANDHA) ROOT POWDER ON SELECTED PROPERTIES OF COW MILK

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.