Development of Value Added Amaranth Seed Laddus

Most known cereals have been the staple food of humans but these crops are not being able to fulfill the requirements on the aspects of nutrition as well as food security. TheFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has identified amaranth as under-utilized crop but has immense potential to upgrade health, nutrition and global hunger.Amaranth seeds are rich in energy, protein, calcium and iron and it is fast and easily grown in difficult weather and soil conditions. This study aims to formulate nutritious sweet snack (laddu) by substituting different proportions of wheat flour/Bengal gram flour with roasted and grinded amaranth seeds for vulnerable groups.Sensory analysis is done with 20 semi-trained panelists on 9 point hedonic rating scale.All the products are well accepted.


Introduction
Traditional cereals like wheat, rice, corn are known to be the staple food of human population since long time. Unfortunately, these handfuls of cereals crops have become not only vitally important part of our diet, but have also become indispensible for our food security. However, these major cereals lack certain essential nutrients which needed to be either bio fortified or bio enriched. On the contrary, pseudocereals have these essential nutrients naturally in them and can grow in harsh climate with minimum agriculture facilities, but peudocereals have been left neglected and unexplored for large scale production and consumption. So to bridge the gap of nutrient deficiencies and poverty, pseudocereals should be given considerable importance for improving health & nutrition and hidden hunger crisis and also livelihood of people. Amaranth is such a high nutrition profile pseudocereal that is very traditional to India. It is one of the ancient and most commonly produced crops in India. Amaranth, also known as Pigweed or Rajgira or Ramdana, is a group of more than 60 different species of grains from the family Amaranthaceae that have been cultivated for almost about 8,000 years. These grains were once considered a staple food in the Inca, Maya and Aztec civilizations [1,2,3].Although amaranth is categorized as a grain, it's really a seed, a dicot seed (just like quinoa), hence Amaranth is considered a "pseudocereal". Amaranth grains share characteristics of both a cereal and a leguminous seed from botanical and nutrient composition point of view as the protein content and the amino acid composition of these grains are somewhere between those of a cereal and a legume. Therefore, it could be considered as a natural mixture of rice and beans nutritionally [4]. Cereals are known to have very low amounts of lysine but Amaranth protein has high lysine, tryptophan and methionine [5,6].The amount of protein present in amaranth grain has a superior amino-acid profile and is comparable to milk and egg. Amaranth also has high vitamin A,E,C and folic acid and mineral contents and a low level of anti-nutritional factors [7]. It also exhibits antioxidant properties as it contains polyphenols, anthocyanins, flavonoids and tocopherols [8]. It is also glutenfree and thus can be included in many restrictive diets like celiac disease[9.10]. Amaranth can be enjoyed in both sweet and savoury recipes. They have a sweet and nutty flavour and are a bit crunchy when cooked. Health Benefitsof Amaranthseeds 1. Gluten Free -Amaranth seed is a great alternative for persons with celiac disease and in gluten sensitivity cases. 2. Reduces Inflammation-Amaranth contains anti-inflammatory properties which reduces body's production of immunoglobulin E, thus reducing pain and inflammation significantly! 3. Lowers Cholesterol levels-The oils and phytosterols in amaranth helps lower LDL, Triglycerides while increasing "good" HDL cholesterol. 4. Reduces the risk of developing cancer-Amaranth is rich in peptides and anti-oxidants which provide protection against inflammation, thus preventing Cancer. It is especially high in phenolic acids like gallic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and vanillic acid, all of which may help protect against diseases like heart disease and cancer. 5. Healthy skin and Hair-Amaranth contains Vitamin C, which is vital for skin, maintaining collagen and also reduces sign of ageing and increases lustre and shine to hair when consumed in diet regularly.

Objective
Based on the nutritional richness of the amaranth seeds, the current study has been undertaken to formulate a recipe with amaranth seeds blending with wheat flour/bengal gram flour and jaggery. 1.
To prepare four types ofnutritious sweet snack with amaranth seeds(laddu) for vulnerable groups.

2.
To develop two types of laddus withdifferent proportions of wheat flour and roasted amaranth seeds keeping the sweetness constant. To develop two types of laddus withdifferent proportions of bengal gram flour and roasted amaranth seeds keeping the sweetness constant.

4.
To evaluate the prepared amaranth seed laddus by Sensory Evaluation Technique.

Procurement of raw material
Amaranth seeds, wheat flour, Bengal gram flour and sugar cane jaggery are procured from local market.

Recipes formulation
The four recipes are formulated based on common sweetdishladdu with roasted amaranth seeds and different combinations of wheat flour / Bengal gram flour and jaggery. Two products are with amaranth seeds and wheat flour and two products are with amaranth seeds and Bengal gram flour. Roasted and grinded amaranth seeds and Wheat flour/ Bengal gram flour are cooked with jaggery till a consistency where it can be made balls.
After cooking, the total amount of the cooked product came out to be 150 gm of which 5 laddus each weighing 30 gm were prepared.

Compilation of facts
A score card was organised to compile the facts and got the same filled by the members of the panel so that the product can be evaluated by them.

Product Evaluation
A panel of 20 members was created for the purpose of the study. The score card was filled after the sensory evaluation of the four products. This was a 9 point score card in which the form, colour, texture, taste, aroma and fullness of the products were evaluated.

Selection of Panelists
The products are assessed for their sensory characteristics by a panel of twenty semi trained judges from the faculty members of Jamshedpur Women's University.
The quality and taste of all the four products are checked by the evaluation score card -nine point Hedonic rating scale.

Observation and Analysis
The product are analysed on the basis of form, colour, texture, taste, aroma and over acceptability and then the products are sensory evaluated. The statistical tool used for analysing the above sensory evaluation factors are frequency and percentage.

Resultand Discussion
Product 1: Laddu made of 50 gm atta, 50 gm amaranth seeds and jaggery Form As depicted in the above  Similarly, for product no.
Form The datain above

Major Findings
 On account of form, panelists preferred product 1.


On the parameter of colour, most preferred is product 4.  For texture, again product 1 is most liked.  Product 2 and 4 both are liked for taste.  Again product 1 wins the race when considered aroma.  In overall Acceptability, product 1 and 4 are most preferred by the panel members.
Laddus are formulated by substituting wheat flour/bengal gram flour with different proportions of roasted and grinded amaranth seeds. The sensory analysis exhibits that product 1 and 4 have the highest sensory appeal followed by 2 and 3, however all the products are well accepted. Chungkhum and Singh (2021) [12] developed prepare different products like cakes, besan burfi, coconut ladoo, cashwenut burfi, and dosa by incorporatingdifferent proportions of amaranth grain flour with wheat flour/ Bengal gram flour.Results showed these products were acceptable after sensory analysis and can also enhance the nutritional values. Amaranth is suited for mixing with other flours as it has no strong taste and flavour [13]. Kowsalya and Indra (2010) [14] revealed that development of extruded products from amaranthus incorporated nutritious mix were highly acceptable from the sensory evaluation. Protein,Calcium and iron content are in more in products 1 and 3 where amaranth substitution is more. Emire and Arega (2012) [15] studied about making bread from combining amaranth grain flour and wheat flour in different formulations. Their study on parameter of quality and sensory aspect revealed that there is a significant increase in protein, fat, iron, zinc, phosphorus and calcium contents if there is an increase in amaranth substitution and an improved sensory characteristics. Zebdewos et al. (2015) [16] unveiled that iron content is boosted by adding amaranth and phytate levels are lowered. Requirement of energy, protein, calcium and iron is increased during pregnancy and lactation and in children of growing age [17]. This laddu with its high nutrient profile and good sensory acceptance can make a better midmeal snack for the vulnerable groups.

Conclusion
This study was conducted to investigate the potential of using Amaranth seed as an important substitution to our regular staple food. Four different types of laddus (designated as Product 1 to 4), having different proportion of Amaranth seed and wheat / Bengal Gram flour was tested for different sensory parameters. All the products are well accepted.The study also shows that nutrients like protein, calcium and iron as well as calorie content increase with the increase in percentage of amaranth seeds in the laddu. So these laddus can be recommended as a nutrient dense snack for pregnant and lactating mothers, growing children and also to patients who require high calorie and high protein. It can benefit supplementary nutrition programs of ICDS and Midday meal for its high nutrient profile and low cost (Rs 10/serving of 5 laddus). It is very easy and takes very less time to prepare.