Preparation of spice-fortified paneer for culinary application.

Paneer is one of the widely consumed traditional dairy products in India, known for its high
nutritional i.e., the protein content, as well as its varied applications in food products and
snacks. However, conventional paneer is found to have major limitation is as it is of lesser
sensory value or it is of bland taste. Hence, its usage is limited for gravies, snacks or as grilled
dishes. Hence, to improve the sensory appeal is the challenge and making it as a ready-to-eat
or ready-to-cook food. In recent years, the preparation of value-added dairy products with the
natural ingredients has been of significant importance for improving the nutritional and
functional properties of dairy products. The present study aims to prepare and develop spiceinfused/
fortified paneer and investigate its physicochemical properties, binding efficiency of
bioactive compounds, and sensory characteristics. Spices like turmeric, black pepper and
cumin were added to the paneer preparation for its functional and to improve sensory
parameters like taste, aroma and also visual appeal. The prepared paneer samples were
subjected to physicochemical analysis in order to assess the influence of the addition of spices
on the quality of the product. In addition to this, the binding efficiency of the milk protein
and the bioactive compounds of the added spice was determined in order to assess the binding
efficiency of the compounds with the protein matrix of the paneer. It was observed that the
protein matrix of the paneer has a high binding affinity for the added spice bioactive
compounds, with curcumin showing a binding efficiency of 90% and piperine showing a
binding efficiency of 83%. In addition to this, the sensory properties of the prepared paneer
were determined to assess the influence of the addition of spices on the quality of the product,
and it was observed that the addition of spices resulted in the development of paneer with high
sensory properties. The incorporation of spices did not alter the physicochemical properties of
the paneer, but on the other hand spice fortification improve its functional and sensory
properties. These findings suggest that, the spice-fortified paneer could be a promising valueadded
functional dairy product with enhanced health benefits and consumer acceptability.