Effect of processing variables on quality of milk burfi prepared with and without sugar

Milk burfi is an Indian traditional confectionery
prepared using concentrated milk and sugar. The texture and
quality of burfi vary depending on processing conditions
and storage period. The effect of processing variable namely
total soluble solids (TSS) at the end of cooking and duration
of storage on the texture and sensory quality of burfi
prepared with and without sugar was studied by applying
response surface methodology. Sorbitol with and without
added aspartame was used as sugar alternative. Simultaneous
optimization by desirability approach was carried out on
the independent variables to get the optimum levels within
the experimental conditions. It was found that the optimum
conditions for burfi prepared with sugar were: TSS of 78°B
and 2–3 days of storage. Burfi prepared at optimum conditions
had a breaking strength of 13.3 N with a sensory overall
acceptability score of 9.5 on a 10-point scale. Similarly,
for burfi prepared with sorbitol to obtain a product close to
its sugar counterpart required a TSS of 77.5°B and storage
for 5–6 days to obtain a breaking strength of 12.9 N and a
sensory overall acceptability score of 9.1.