Abstract:Fruits play a major role in human diet. They are sources of vitamins, minerals and fibres. Fruit leathers are tasty and convenient on the go snacks with high level acceptability. They are food products consisting of fruit pulp, sugars, pectin and preservatives which are dehydrated at a temperature of 50 degrees. Here
Garcinia indica (kokum) and
Mangifera indica (mango) is chosen as a basic ingredient of the leather.
Moringa oleifera tree is called as miracle tree as it is a rich source of certain macro and micro nutrients which holds great importance to human health. Some nutritional evaluation has been carried forward in leaves and stems. An important factor that accounts for the medicinal uses of
Moringa oleifera is its very wide range of vital antioxidants, antibiotics and nutrients including vitamins and minerals. Due to these benefits,
Moringa oleifera has been chosen as a fortifying agent. By incorporating this fortificant into fruit leathers, it improved the nutritional profile of the product. In the article elaborates all about kokum fruit leather fortification with
Moringa oleifera.
Fruit leathers are dehydrated fruit products which are eaten as snacks or desserts. They are flexible sheets that have a concentrated fruit flavour and nutritional aspects. Most fruit leathers are prepared by mixing fruit puree and other additives like sugar, pectin, acid, glucose syrup, colour, and potassium metabisulphite and then dehydrating them under specific conditions. Various drying systems including combined convective and far-infrared drying, hot air drying, microwave drying, solar drying, and sun drying have been used to make fruit leathers. Most fruit leathers are dried at 30 to 80 0C for up to 24 hours until the target final moisture content (12–20%) has been reached. Research about fruit leathers began in the 1970s. This work has reviewed published papers on fruit leathers in order to summarize useful information about fruit leathers on methods of preparation, effects of drying condition, and effects of packaging and storage, which will be useful to many in the food industry and consumers who are health- conscious.