Abstract:
The ketogenic diet (KD) has gained popularity as an effective strategy for weight
management. Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) are the major fat source of
this diet to induce efficient ketosis. However, the products for KD which are enriched
with MCT are not accessible in the market. Thus, this study was aimed
to develop a MCT enriched milkshake with an optimal ketogenic ratio (KR) and
desirable nutritional properties. Four formulations were developed by varying the
ratio (%) of soymilk, coconut milk, and MCT oil as 97.7:0:0 (C), 88.77:4.60:4.33
(T1), 86.87:6.92:3.90 (T2), 84.95:9.27:3.45 (T3), respectively. The proportions
of the remaining ingredients were kept constant at 2.30%. Sensory, proximate,
physicochemical, microbiological analysis were conducted and KR was calculated
to assess product quality and suitability for the KD. Sensory evaluation was conducted
by thirty semi-trained panellists using a five-point hedonic scale. T2 was
selected as the optimal formulation, as it demonstrated significantly higher score
for overall acceptability compared to the others. T2 consisted of 60.04% crude
fat, 15.82% crude protein, and 22.51% carbohydrates, demonstrating a high-fat
and low-carbohydrate profile, suitable for KD. Proximate analysis revealed, crude
fiber and crude ash of 0.67% and 0.96% in dry basis, respectively. T2 exhibited a
caloric profile in which, fat, protein, and carbohydrate contributed as 77.8%, 9.1%
and 13.1% for total energy, respectively, which aligned with KD standards. Ketogenic
effectiveness is measured through the KR (Fat/ [Carbohydrate + Protein]),
which in this case was calculated as 1.56:1, thus meets the minimum threshold
typically required to induce nutritional ketosis. The product shelf life remained
at an acceptable level throughout the 4-week refrigerated storage period, as indicated
by the steady changes in pH, titratable acidity, and TSS together with
microbial counts within safe limits. In conclusion, the formulated milkshake had
an optimal KR and desirable nutritional properties that supports the KD.
