Vol. 9, Special Issue 12, Part N (2025)

During the present investigation, optimization of ingredients for the preparation of whey beverage blended with wood apple pulp was undertaken, which included selection of type of whey, selection of type of sweetener and optimization of levels of wood apple pulp and sugar. For selection of suitable sweetener, four types of sweeteners viz. sugar (S₁), jaggery (S₂), stevia (S₃) and aspartame (S₄) were evaluated in the whey beverage. During this phase, the level of wood apple pulp was maintained constant at 12 per cent and sweetener equivalent to 8 per cent sugar was standardized for all treatments. Based on sensory evaluation, the most acceptable type of whey and sweetener were selected for further studies. Subsequently, optimization of levels of wood apple pulp and sugar was carried out by incorporating three levels of wood apple pulp viz. 10 per cent (W₁), 12 per cent (W₂) and 14 per cent (W₃) and three levels of sugar viz. 7 per cent (S₁), 8 per cent (S₂) and 9 per cent (S₃) of whey. These levels were finalized on the basis of preliminary trials to study the combined effect of varying concentrations of wood apple pulp and sugar on the sensory attributes of the whey beverage. The results revealed that whey beverage prepared with 12 per cent wood apple pulp and 8 per cent sugar was found to be most acceptable, indicating its potential for the development of a quality, nutrition-rich whey-based beverage.