Abstract:
Whey produced as a by product of cheese industry is not utilized for a production
process in Sri Lanka. The high nutritive value of cheese whey provides a good
nutrient source for the humans, if an edible product is produced. The objective of
the experiment was to develop a ready to eat novel healthy jelly from sweet cheese
whey. After determining the physico chemical parameters of fresh sweet whey, a
preliminary experiment was conducted to select the suitable formulation using
100ml of whey with sugar (12 and 15g) and gelatine (1.5, 2.0 and 2.5g). Based on
the results of the sensory evaluation conducted using five point hedonic scale with
15 well trained panelists, best proportion {cheese whey: sugar: gelatine ( 100ml:
15g: 2g)} was selected.
Improvements were made by adding fruits and fruit flavour to the best proportion
and another sensory evaluation was conducted. Shelf life of the best improved
product (both fruit and fruit flavour added) was determined based on the
microbiological (coliform, TCC, Yeast and Mould) and physico chemical (pH and
titratable acidity %) parameters examined for two weeks in three day intervals. The
product was compared with three market available jellies for sensory and physico
chemical parameters using t-test. The data of the sensory evaluation were analyzed
by Kruskall Wallis-non parametric test.
Developed product was negative for coliforms and highest TCC (3.6x 104 CFU/ml),
and yeast & mould count (2.8x 102 CFU/ml) were observed in 15th day of storage at
4 °C. Further, pH and titratable acidity% were slightly changed at 9th day of storage.
Results indicated that the ash% and total solid% of the developed product were
similar to market available moss jelly. Protein% (8.98±0.11), fat% (0.41±0.04) and
brix value (22.75±0.5) were significantly higher in the developed product than the
market available jellies. However, pH and relative viscosity were significantly
different (P<0.05) in the developed product.
Further, the product can be stored for two weeks under refrigeration conditions (4
°C) without any quality deterioration. It can be concluded from the above study that
the sweet cheese whey can be effectively utilized for the production of ready to eat
novel healthy jelly.
