International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology (IJEAB) Vol-2, Issue-1, Jan-Feb- 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijeab/2.1.49 ISSN: 2456-1878 www.ijeab.com Page | 389 Formulation, Acceptability and Storage Stability of Appetized Ginger Plum Leather Manisha Kaushal, Aarti Dhiman, Anil Gupta, Devina Vaidya Department of Food Science & Technology, Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry Nauni, Solan, HP, India Abstract— Appetized ginger plum leather was prepared by using different combinations of ginger and plum pulp with varying concentrations of appetizing mixture. The TSS of ginger and plum pulp were raised to 25 o B by adding sugar and 1.0 to 2.5% appetizing mixture, followed by drying thin layers in dehydrator (55±2 o C) to 12-14% moisture content. The standardization of most palatable recipe was done by evaluating sensory properties and highest score was obtained by ginger: plum (50:50) and 1.5% appetizing mixture. The appetized leather contained comparatively higher amount of ascorbic acid (13.16mg/100g), total phenols (55.89mg/100g) and antioxidant activity (72.94%). The leather was found most stable when packaged in laminated aluminium pouches during storage. The leather did not exhibit appreciable changes in titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, total sugars, phenols and antioxidant activity after 6 months. Thus the appetized ginger plum leather can be stored under ambient storage after packing in aluminium laminated pouches. Keywords— Ginger, plum, leather, appetizing mixture, aluminium laminated pouches, antioxidant activity. I. INTRODUCTION Fruit leather or fruit bar also known as fruit roll means a sheet of dried pureed fruit prepared by blending fruit pulp, fat or milk solids & other ingredients required for the product which can be mould into desired shape or size (FSSAI 2011). Fruit leather is a confectionery product made by dehydration of fruit puree into leathery sheets and can be prepared from pulpy fruits such as mango (Gujral and Brar 2003), pear (Huang and Hsieh 2005), guava (Vijayanand et al. 2000), longan (Jaturonglumlert and Kiatsiriroat 2010), banana, kiwifruit (Vatthanakul et al. 2010), grape (Maskan et al. 2002), chiku, jackfruit (CheMan and Taufik 1995) and papaya Gowda et al. (1995). Further innovations can be made in the preparation of leathers by adding appetizing constituents like mint, salt, black salt, thyme seed etc. The edible portion of fruit (single or in combination) is pureed, mixed with other ingredients to improve its physico- chemical & sensory characteristics (Phimpharian et al. 2011). Fruit leathers can be dried by using sun drying, oven drying, cabinet drying & dehydrator drying. Sun drying has traditionally being the process employed for preparing fruit leather from ripe fruits, the process can be unhygienic, lengthy and discolour the products (Teshome 2010). Fruit leathers are dehydrated fruit made from fresh fruit pulp or a mixture of fruit juice and are generally low in calories. Fruit pulp-based fruit leathers are nutritive & organoleptically acceptable and contains ample quantities of dietary fibers, minerals, vitamins & antioxidants (Gujral ad Brar 2003; Damodaran et al. 2010; Sharma et. al. 2013). Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), generally consumed as a spice and is highly valuable in the international market for its aroma, pungency and high oleoresin content (Onwuka et al, 2002). The major constituents in ginger rhizomes are carbohydrates (50–70%), lipids (3–8%), terpenes (Grzanna et al. 2005) and phenolic compounds like gingerol, paradols, shogaol which cause the characteristic odour and flavour of ginger (Harold 2004), aromatic constituents like zingiberene and bisabolene and the pungent constituents like gingerols and shogaols (Tyler 1994). Besides these; amino acids, raw fiber, ash, protein, phytosterols, vitamins and minerals are also present (Langner et al. 1998; Shukla and Singh 2007). Thus ginger can be utilized for value addition and various value added products prepared from ginger are ginger flakes, ginger oil, oleoresin, candy, preserve, paste, and powder (Arya, 2001, Camacho and Brescia, 2009). Plum (Prunus domestica L.) is one of the important stone fruit crops cultivated in temperate regions of the world, consumed mostly as fresh (Pino and Quijano, 2012). The fruits have attractive colour, flavour and taste and are an excellent source of antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and fibre besides substantial amounts of vitamin C (Sabarez et al. 1997). The plum fruits with high antioxidant contents can be used for development of different value added products and dried fruit leather is a well known traditional healthy food of Bulgaria and Turkey (Momchilova et al. 2016). The preservation of fruit leather depends on their low moisture content (15-20%), the natural acidity of the fruit and high sugar content. Major quality parameters associated with dried fruit products are change