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Description
Idli is a fermented breakfast food valued for its soft texture, easy digestibility, and health benefits. However, commercially available instant idli mixes often provide limited amounts of dietary fiber, antioxidants, and essential minerals. This study aimed to develop a nutritionally enhanced instant idli batter mix through fortification with Palmyrah (Borassus flabellifer L.) fruit pulp (PFP), an underutilized yet nutrient-rich resource widely available in Sri Lanka. Five idli batter formulations (T0, T1, T2, T3, and T4) were prepared by varying the proportions of PFP and semolina (0:80%, 10:70%, 20:60%, 30:50%, and 40:40%), while keeping the levels of other ingredients constant (black gram 15%, salt 3%, and yeast 2%). The developed batter samples were assessed for nutritional, physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of the cooked idli, following the addition of yeast and 1 hour of fermentation. Sensory evaluation using a 9-point hedonic scale indicated that formulation T3 achieved the highest overall acceptability, providing an optimal balance of color, aroma, taste, flavor, and texture. Based on these results, T3 was selected as the optimized formulation, containing fiber (10.74%), protein (12.02%), fat (0.12%), ash (2.73%), salt (2.33%), moisture (62.19%), energy (316.76 kcal), pH (5.62), titratable acidity (0.24%), and °Brix (10.52).
