Development of retort pouch processed Ready to Eat (RTE) Mutton Kheema Biryani

Kheema is a traditional South Asian meat dish, which is used as stuffing and filling agents in many products and Kheema refres to minced meat. Mutton Kheema Biryani was prepared by using minced mutton, it was an Indian non-vegetarian food was prepared as per recipy. It was the heterogeneous product with minced mutton and rice, gravy was prepared first from minced mutton and using masalas, and that gravy (Kheema) was mixed with rice in the ratio of 40: 60. The Readyto-eat (RTE) Mutton Kheema Biryani was packed in four layer retort pouches and processed in a steam-air retort with overriding pressure at the temperature of 121.1°C. Time-temperature data was collected during heat processing using and heat penetration characteristics were determined. The total process time (TB) was 34 min with a F0 value of 6.09. The product was evaluated for its shelf stability under room temperature for a period of 2 months. On storage, changes in moisture, total fat, protein, free fatty acid (FFA), and Peroxide value (PV) were determined at every 15 days intervals. Moisture, water activity, protein content and ash content of the product did not show any significant changes and the total fat content was found to decrease during storage. FFA, PV and TBA values were found to increase 0.826 ± 0.06, from an initial value of 0.589 ± 0.002, 2.848 ± 0.024 from 3.273 ± 0.094 and 0.874 ± 0.031 from 0.348 ± 0.031 respectively. Microbiological analysis revealed that product was commercially sterile and fit for consumption. The samples were rated well by the taste panel and remained in good condition even after storage period.