Development of Nutraceutical Food Leather by Incorporation of Fresh Moringa (Moringa oleifera) Leaf Pulp

Abstract

Background: Development of functional foods with plant-based bioactive ingredients has come into great focus since they have potential health-promoting properties. Moringa oleifera leaves have excellent protein, mineral and antioxidant components and therefore are good candidates for use in nutraceutical product development. This study was designed to develop and test the fortified mango-based fruit leathers with fresh moringa leaf pulp (FMLP) at various concentrations (0-25%). Methods: The mango pulp containing 0-25% of FMLP was prepared as six different formulations (T1-T6). Physicochemical properties (moisture content, crude ash, crude protein, sugars, crude fibre, acidity and total soluble solids), bioactive compounds (ascorbic acid, total phenolics and antioxidant activity), colour parameters (L*, a*, b*) and sensory attributes were analysed for developed products using standard analytical methods. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) at p d” 0.05 was used for statistical analysis. Result: Incorporation of FMLP significantly (p≤0.05) increased protein (0.76-4.23%), ash (0.31-2.90%), fibre (0.83-4.29%), ascorbic acid (21.91-63.39 mg/100 g), total phenolics (7.63-36.70 mg/100 g) and antioxidant activity (132.16-416.96 μmol TE/g), while total and reducing sugars decreased. There was significant decrease in colour value (L*, a*, b*) which indicates darkening of the product with the increase of FMLP level. The sensory evaluation showed that T3 (10% FMLP) had the best overall acceptability, while the incorporation levels above 10% had a negative impact on the sensory quality.