Authors : Dewalrani M Rewatkar1 and Sabiha Vali
Page Nos : 75-86
Description :
Abstract:
Palash flowers (Butea Monospermous) are abundantly available in and around the forest areas and highways in Vidarbha region. The flowers are bright orange red in color and also known as “Flame of the Forest”. There is scarce information on their use as a coloring agent in food preparation. Synthetic color commonly used in food preparation is known to have a
harmful effect on health. It was therefore postulated to extract color of Palash flowers and use it in selected traditional recipes i.e. Coconut Burfi, Jalebi and Sweet Rice and evaluate
the palatability and acceptability in comparison with control recipes prepared using synthetic color. Palash flowers were procured fresh and dried by sun and shade drying. Color was extracted by simple household method. The shade dried sample gave a brighter orange color and hence was used in the experiment. The recipes were standardized to ascertain the quantity of color to be added. Sensory evaluation was conducted by a panel of
judges using a descriptive cum numerical score card to assess the color, taste, texture and
overall acceptability. Data was analyzed by applying student‟s„t‟ test to compare the scores of experimental with control recipes. Results proved that addition of Palash flower color extract in recipes did not alter their acceptability as reflected by insignificant differences in
mean scores when compared to control recipes in all the charecteristics.Palash flowers thus offer a wide scope to the food color manufacturing industry and will additionally prove to be a useful strategy in waste management.
Keywords: synthetic colour, jalebi, coconut burfi, sweet rice, palatability
