Development and nutritional evaluation of honey based immunity booster balls from Madhuca longifolia, a non-timber forest product

Introduction

Madhuca longifolia, a well-known minor forest product, is native to the Indian subcontinent, which comprises several Indian states, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Nepal. It is a member of the Sapotaceae family. Because it meets three fundamental needs-fuel, food, and fodder-this multipurpose tree is vital to the way of life of traditional cultures. It goes by several vernacular names, such as Illipi (South), Mahul (Orissa), and Mahua or Mowarh (North), and it is extensively distributed throughout various Indian states. The Sanskrit word "madhu," which means "honey," is the source of its name, Madhuka, which alludes to the unusually high sugar content (66-72% of dry weight) in its flowers (Chand and Mahapatra, 1983) [1] . The perennial Madhuca longifolia tree can reach a height of 70 feet. When ripe, the fruits are ovoid, meaty, and greenish-yellow in colour; the blossoms are small, fleshy, and pale white. It can continue to give fruit for up to 60 years, beginning between the ages of 8 and 15. Since mahua trees typically begin to bloom during the lean agricultural season (March-April), they are a significant source of income for underprivileged communities. The meaty corollas of the flowers are edible and a fantastic source of natural sugars, vitamins, and minerals (Sinha et al., 2017) [2] . For edible Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) flowers to be safe, tasty, and nutritious, a sustainable sanitary collection approach is essential. The medicinal rhizome Curcuma angustifolia, also called the Tikhur, grows in the forests of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Fresh tikhur rhizomes are used by primitive tribes like the Abhujmaria to manufacture starchy flour that has cooling properties and is excellent for treating stomach ulcers. It also has antipyretic, diuretic, and heart tonic properties (Ravindran 2007) [3] . Withania somnifera, often known as winter cherry or Indian ginseng, is a valuable medicinal herb used in many Ayurvedic medicine formulations. Its name, which comes from the Sanskrit words "ashwa" (horse) and "gandha" (fragrance), symbolizes the idea that eating its root bestows horse vigour. The plant's roots, which have sedative, antiinflammatory, and nervous system-tonic qualities, are its primary medicinal component. Asparagus racemosus, commonly referred to as the Shatavari, is another important herb in Ayurveda. The roots were mostly used in the traditional medical system. In modern Ayurvedic traditions, Shatavari is acknowledged as a galactogouge (raising milk production), rejuvenator, and aphrodisiac. Additionally, it is classified as a "medhya" herb, meaning that it enhances learning, memory, and intelligence. (Orwa et al., 2009) [4] Acacia gum is the dried exudate gum from the trunks and branches of the babul tree (Acacia nilotica). This gum is highly nutritious and has been used for millennia as a binding element in food and medicine. For nursing mothers in the Indian subcontinent, it is a vital part of wholesome meals. Mahua flowers are anticipated to have a significant influence on the food and beverage sector in the future as the demand for natural and health-conscious products continues to grow following COVID. The goal of this research was to develop a ball that boosts immunity. The Immunity Booster ball recipe was created to make greater use of mahua flowers in the off-season while preserving quality and fulfilling storage needs. To evaluate the nutritional, physicochemical, and processed honey-based immunity booster balls.

Materials and Methods

The study was carried out in the Department of Forestry, College of Agriculture, IGKV, Raipur, between 2023-2024 (C.G. The invention of honey-based immunity booster balls enhanced with the base material Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) and strengthened with immunomodulatory and adaptogenic herbs used in Ayurvedic therapy. The concentrations of Mahua, Tikhur (Curcuma angustifolia), and honey were varied to create seven different treatments (T 1 to T 7 ), while the amounts of Ashwagandha, Satavar, Babool gum, dry fruit, Ghee, and Elaichi remained unchanged. The goal of each treatment was to investigate how these elements could work together to improve texture, palatability, and possible therapeutic efficacy. Treatments for Immunity Booster Balls (T 1 -T 7 ) based on honey and three replications and a completely randomized design (CRD) were used in this experiment. The storage duration of the Immunity Booster Balls was examined at intervals of 1 month over a period of 150 days at ambient room temperature. The packaging plastic containers utilized for marketing purposes.

Results and Discussion

Above preparation, the chemical analysis of immunity booster balls revealed that the percentage of total sugar, fat, and protein decreased as the storage period increased, but the percentage of reducing sugar and moisture increased as the storage period increased from 0 to 1 month interval up to 150 days. Moisture content was recorded highest for the treatment T 6 (10.18), while T 4 had the lowest (8.32). Moisture retention has a direct impact on microbiological safety and texture, according to earlier research on traditional sweets (Verma and Patel, 2023; Raval, 2013) [7,8] . Although the decreased moisture retention may lead to somewhat improved microbiological safety, it also causes the texture to become tougher with time, a problem seen in other candies (Saikia and Islam, 2020) [5] . Total sugar was resulted highest for the treatment T 6 (27.66), whereas T 1 had the lowest (22.21). Hydrolysis and microbiological or enzymatic activity, which gradually transform sugars into reducing sugars, are responsible for the decrease in sugar content in honey-based formulations (Pandey and Sangwan, 2018) [6] . These results are consistent with previous findings that value addition with natural sweeteners improves traditional sweets' customer appeal and storage stability (Raval, 2013; Saikia and Islam, 2020) [8,5] . Non-reducing sugar was recoded highest for the treatment T 7 (2.70), whereas, T 1 had the lowest (2.12). The breakdown of non-reducing sugars into simpler reducing sugars during storage, which is sped up by enzymatic activity, is the main cause of the steady increase in reducing sugars in honeybased formulations (Pandey and Sangwan, 2018) [6] . Due to honey's inherent inhibitory effect on enzyme activity and microbiological development, the lower Mahua content and higher honey content displayed the least increase (Mandal and Mandal, 2011) [9] . Fat percentage was recorded highest for the treatment T 6 had the highest fat percentage (13.49), whereas T 1 had the lowest (12.14). Lipid oxidation and hydrolysis during storage, which are frequently increased by oxygen exposure and storage time, are indicated by the gradual decrease in fat content during both seasons (Rao and Goyal, 2007) [10] . Overall, honey-based formulations maintained higher fat percentages, suggesting that honey's antioxidant properties may play a role in delaying lipid breakdown (Mandal and Mandal, 2011) [9] . The highest protein percentage was recorded for the treatment T 6 (6.61), while T 1 had the lowest (6.19). The steady decrease in protein concentration is indicative of natural deterioration during storage, most likely as a result of denaturation and hydrolysis processes that are sped up by exposure to the environment and time (Rao and Goyal, 2007) [10] . However, protein degradation seemed to be slowed by honey's inherent antioxidant and antibacterial qualities, which is consistent with Mandal and Mandal's (2011) [9] observation that honey stabilizes biomolecules. Bacterial Count was recorded highest in T 7 (36) and lowest in T 3 (30). Honey-based Immunity Booster Balls recorded lower bacterial loads throughout the storage period, reinforcing the preservative potential of honey as a functional sweetener (Mandal and Mandal, 2011; Singh et al., 2023) [9,11] . These findings indicate that honey's antimicrobial properties-derived from low water activity, acidity, and hydrogen peroxide production-initially delayed bacterial growth but became less effective after 90-120 days (Mandal and Mandal, 2011; Singh et al., 2023) [9,11] . Fungal count recorded highest in T 7 (38) and lowest in T 4 (32). honey's natural antifungal mechanisms, including its high osmotic pressure, low water activity, and presence of hydrogen peroxide and phenolic compounds, which inhibit fungal spore germination (Mandal and Mandal, 2011; Singh et al., 2023) [9,11] . Similar storage-related fungal proliferation has been reported in other fruit-and cerealbased laddus after three months of ambient storage (Pandita et al., 2018; Wadhwan and Bansal, 2018) [12,15] . [13,14]

Conclusion

The final product, Honey-based immunity booster balls, were stored and acceptable consumption up to 60 days from the day of preparation; all chemical parameters showed a decreasing trend as the storage period increased, with the exception of reducing sugar and moisture, which showed the opposite trend; the bacterial load and fungal load showed the decreasing trend with the increasing storage period. It can be concluded that Treatment 6 was the best and most accepted of all the treatments in excellent test and quality as compared with the other treatments.

References

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