Ajowan (Trachyspermum ammi) munch: A shelf stable ready-to-eat appetizer, its development and storage

Pungent spices such as ginger and ajowan are known for stimulating properties. Appetizers are required in several pathological and geographical stress situations such as prolonged exposure to altitude. The paper deals with the development of a shelf stable ready-to-eat appetizer convenient to the consumer. The central composite design with 3 ingredient variables resulted in 20 experimental combinations with the help of Design expert^® statistical software. All these combinations for the appetizer were processed by concentration and dehydration using pre-processed ingredients and evaluated for quality parameters. The optimized product had the proximate composition of 8.6% fat, 7.10% protein and 69.0% carbohydrates, supplying about 76 KCals per munch of 20 g. The munches packed in metalized polyester pouches had a shelf life of 9 months at 28±5°C as well as 37°C storage. The RTE appetizer incorporating ajowan and ginger was developed with excellent sensory properties and shelf stability.