Journal of Advances in Food Science & Technology

In recent decades, food fortification has gained significant attention as an effective strategy to improve the nutritional quality of foods. A laboratory experiment was conducted with the objective of standardising the preparation protocol for protein-enriched guava leather roll-ups with Lalith variety and to assess their biochemical and organoleptic qualities at three-month intervals under ambient storage conditions at the College of Horticulture, Dr YSR Horticultural University. The experiment was laid out in a Factorial Completely Randomised Design (FCRD) with three replications comprising eight treatment combinations with two factors, such as sweeteners (palmyra jaggery or sugar) and protein sources (whey, soya, cashew or almond) at 5% concentration. Ripe guavas of the Lalit variety were processed into pulp, sweetened, fortified with proteins, then dried, rolled and packed in polyethene covers. Among biochemical parameters, treatment combination of sugar + tray drying + whey protein (B₂C₁) recorded the highest titratable acidity (1.35-1.83%), reducing sugars (24.85-26.65%), microbial count (3.07x10³-4.75x10³cfu/g) with increased trend during the storage period, while total sugars (49.12-47.80%) showed a decreased trend. Non-reducing sugars (14.81-11.87%) recorded the highest with sugar + tray drying + soya protein (B₂C₂). The maximum pectin content was observed with the treatment palmyra jaggery + tray drying + whey protein (B₁C₁) (3.42-3.39%) and fibre content (5.03 to 4.69%). The organoleptic properties, such as colour and appearance (8.80-8.43), recorded the highest scores with the combination of sugar + tray drying + whey protein, whereas the highest texture scores (8.23-7.60) were recorded in the palmyra jaggery + tray drying + whey protein (B₁C₁) treatment combination.