Development of Shelf-Stable Instant Savoury Sponge Cake (Dhokla)

Instant dhokla was developed using the optimised composition of both unfermented and fermented battters consisting of bengal gram dhal, salt, citric acid, chilli: ginger paste etc. Both unfermented (100 min) and fermented (120 min) dhoklas were dried in a fluidized bed drier, packed in metallised polyester (MP 12µ, LD/LLD 150µ) pouches, stored at ambient conditions (15-37°C) to establish their stability. Protein and total ash contents were found more in fermented dhokla than the unfermented one. During storage, peroxide and thiobarbituric acid values were found significantly (p<0.05) less with significantly (p<0.05) higher values of free fatty acid values in fermented dhokla in comparison to unfermented dhokla. Dhokla prepared from unfermented batter received higher acceptance in terms of texture and rehydration characteristics. Both the type of dhoklas were found stable and acceptable for 6 months at ambient temperature conditions (15-37°C).