Indian J Dairy Sci 75(1): 11-16 11 RESEARCH ARTICLE Preparation of curcumin fortified buffalo ghee Jui Lodh 1 , Kaushik Khamrui 2 and Writdhama Prasad 2 () 1 Department of Dairy Technology, PJM College of Dairy Technology, (BAU), Dumka, Jharkhand-814145, India. 2 Dairy Technology Division, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001 (Haryana), India Writdhama Prasad () Dairy Technology Division, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132001 (Haryana), India E-mail: writdhama_3993@rediffmail.com Received: 22 May 2021 / Accepted: 17 November 2021 / Published online: 21 February 2022 Indian Dairy Association (India) 2022 © Abstract: Attempts were made in the present investigation to standardize the ghee manufacturing method for preparation of curcumin fortified ghee. Sensory evaluation and fat recovery revealed that ghee preparation using creamery butter method was more preferable than desi and direct cream method. Fermenting cream using NCDC 352 starter @ 2% inoculation rate yielded sensorially superior ghee in least fermentation time. Sensory attributes of ghee were affected upon addition of curcumin beyond 250 ppm; however, the samples containing upto 350 ppm of curcumin were acceptable to the sensory panelists. During cooking, it was observed that increasing the heating temperature improved the sensory attributes while increasing the heating duration decreased the same. The study will be useful for dairy industries looking for functionality enhancement of ghee. Keywords: Curcumin, Fermentation and Sensory evaluation, Ghee preparation Introduction India is the largest milk producer in the world with an annual production of about 186,000 tonnes in 2018. About 46% of milk produced is consumed as liquid milk and 50-55% is converted into traditional Indian dairy products (TIDP), which are deep rooted from ancient traditions and have a strong cultural heritage (Nigam et al. 2016). Ghee is one of the most widely used traditional dairy products of India which essentially contains minimum 99.70% milk fat. Currently India represents both the world’s largest producer and consumer of ghee with about 30-35% of the milk annually produced in India was converted into ghee (GAIN, 2014). The market for ghee in India is the second highest after fluid milk in both value and volume. It occupies a premier position among the milk products produced in India since time immemorial (Lodh et al. 2018). Ghee is an important source of fat in the diet of people of Indian subcontinent. Eighty percent of ghee produced is used for culinary purposes while the remaining 20% is used for confectionery, including small amounts consumed on auspicious occasions like religious ceremonies (Ganguli & Jain, 1972). Ghee is manufactured mostly from buffalo milk as it constitutes more than 55% of the total milk production in India and higher fat content (6-7%). Ghee production is an important activity of organized dairy sector as it obtained from surplus fat, collected during the standardization of liquid milk (Aneja et al. 2002). Utilization of ghee in Indian diet without any adverse health effects has been reported for centuries. Apart from a rich source of fat, it is also a good source of essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K. Scientific findings indicated that ghee contains several therapeutic components like conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), sphingomyelin, butyric acid, myristic acid etc. CLA is considered as an important biologically- active compound of ghee due to its proven anticarcinogenic, antiallergic and anti-inflammatory properties (Smit et al. 2010). CLA also improve cardiovascular health by its antiatherogenic as well as antioxidant properties (Chinnadurai et al. 2008). Despite of several health implications, the milk fat including ghee has often been implicated in atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease because of its cholesterol content and composition of fatty acids. Oxidative deterioration of ghee is one of the major factors that limit the shelf life of ghee (Mehta et al. 2015). The onset of rancidity in ghee is mainly due to the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids leading to development of peroxides and/or due to hydrolysis of glycerides resulting in increased levels of free fatty acids. Hydroperoxides and their subsequent break down products not only produce off flavour also accompanied by nutritional loss. Numerous scientific evidences correlated oxidized lipids with negative health implications (Pukalskas et al. 2005). Oxidized oils https://doi.org/10.33785/IJDS.2022.v75i01.002