Impact of blanching treatments on the physicochemical qualities of kinnow peel powder and its utilization for cupcake formulation

This study aims to determine the effects of blanching on the physicochemical characteristics of kinnow peel powder (KPP) and its suitability for cupcake formulation.

The kinnow peels (KPs) were divided into five groups according to different blanching times at 95±5°C: 0 minutes (control), 2 minutes (T1), 4 minutes (T2), 6 minutes (T3) and 8 minutes (T4). All the blanched and control KPPs were examined for functional properties and proximate and organoleptic attributes.

The findings revealed that an increased blanching time affected the functional properties of KPP and varied significantly at a 5% significance level. The titratable acidity was reduced, with T4 exhibiting the lowest value (1.03±0.010). However, with the increased blanching time, the pH, bulk density, water absorption index and oil absorption capacity were also increased and reported as 6.32, 7.05 g/cc, 4.98 gm/gm and 2.04 gm/gm, respectively. The maximum protein content was observed in T4 (7.11 gm/ 100 gm) and its minimum values were recorded in crude fat (1.07±0.010 gm/100 gm), crude fibre (7.15±0.030 gm/100 gm), total mineral (3.54±0.035 gm/100 gm) and carbohydrates (70.79±0.11 gm/100 gm). An increase in the blanching time positively impacted the organoleptic attributes and reduced the bitter taste of the KPP (T4), boosting the overall acceptability of KPP. Hence, T4 was selected in cupcake formulation at 0% (TCC0), 10% (TCC1), 20% (TCC2), 30% (TCC3) and 40% (TCC4). It was noted that TCC2 might be used for cupcake formulation at the industrial level.