Development and nutrient evaluation of a millet-based calcium-enriched Cheela instant mix powder using dried drumstick (Moringa oleifera) leaves

Introduction

Calcium and vitamin D are vital minerals for strong bones. Over the past fifty years, the amount of calcium consumed by rural, tribal, and urban populations in India has declined. Over the past fifty years, both rural and urban populations' average 30-day grain intake has dropped by thirty percent [9] . Dietary changes that incorporate items that are naturally high in calcium, including dairy products, seem to be the most effective way to prevent calcium deficiencies. Furthermore, people may not have the money to buy animals or may simply keep cattle to supplement their income, depriving themselves of milk and milk products. Many populations in these areas, such as vegetarians and vegans, require other sources to meet their calcium needs [17] . Moringa oleifera is indigenous to India and grows well in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is commonly called "drumstick tree" or "horseradish tree". Because Moringa can withstand both severe drought and mild frost, it is grown all over the world. Because of the tree's exceptionally nourishing qualities, every part of it can be used for commercial or nutritional purposes. The leaves are rich in essential phytochemicals, minerals, and vitamins. Leaf extracts are used to treat malnutrition and boost breast milk production in nursing mothers. It could be used as an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, and antioxidant [8] . Additionally, M. oleifera includes fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin-A (precursor to betacarotene), vitamin-D, and vitamin-E, as well as water-soluble vitamin-B complexes like folic acid, pyridoxine, and nicotinic acid. Fresh leaves have 145 µg of vitamin C and 7564 IU of vitamin A, which are 252% and 235% of the daily needs, respectively [10] . Plant-based calcium, such as that present in conventional staple grains, is essential to diets in many countries. Finger millet has been shown to be consistently high in calcium (364±58 mg/100 g) and balanced with other minerals like zinc and magnesium [12,1] . Finger millet is an excellent source of calcium as well as iron, slow-digesting starch, phytochemicals including polyphenols, and amino acids like methionine. It is a glutenfree, low-fat cereal that is non-allergic and easy to digest. It is often referred to be a "super cereal" due to these characteristics [11] . In addition to its nutritional value, finger millet offers exceptional environmental sustainability advantages. It can withstand harsh weather and low soil fertility, has a short growing season, and requires minimal input to grow [11] . According to [14] , it has a potential yield of up to 10 tons/ha under optimal watering conditions. Because of its higher storage quality attributes, it can be helpful in areas where farmers suffer losses due to poor post-harvest handling [17] . Despite not being grasses, the seeds referred to as pseudocereals, including amaranth (Amaranthus spp.), share a botanical pedigree with spinach. They are sometimes incorporated with grains because of their comparable culinary uses. Amaranth is becoming more and more wellknown throughout the globe due to its high nutrient content and prospective use in functional meals and nutraceuticals. These are often referred to as "nutri-cereals" due to their nutritional significance, yet they are also sometimes dubbed coarse cereals [13] . Grown and consumed worldwide, oats are among the ancient grains and food crops. It is growing in popularity due to its nutritional composition and the numerous benefits of particular bioactive compounds. Beta-glucan is an important component of the dietary fiber found in oat grains. It has been demonstrated to have antidiabetic and cholesterol-lowering qualities and is the primary active component of oats. They also contain high concentrations of other beneficial compounds like phenolic acids, tocols, sterols, avenacosides, and avenanthramides. Eating oats has been shown to enhance immunomodulation as well as improve gut flora, both of which are beneficial to human health [15] .

Interna tional

Materials and Methods

Procurement of Raw Materials

Drumstick leaves, finger millet flour, amaranth flour, and oats and other necessary raw materials were obtained from the Udaipur city local market.

Development and standardization of instant cheela mix

In order to create drumstick leaf powder, fresh drumstick leaves were collected and subjected to several steps of processing. The leaves were first thoroughly cleaned to remove any dust, debris, or other foreign substances. In order to deactivate enzymes, lower the microbial burden, and maintain the leaves color and nutritional value, the leaves were blanched in hot water for two to three minutes after cleaning. The leaves were equally spread out after blanching and sun-dried for 4 days to eliminate enough moisture. A grinder was then used to turn the dried leaves into a fine powder. The purchased finger millet flour and amaranth flour were sifted to ensure uniform particle size. The prepared constituent powders were weighed, properly blended, and stored in airtight containers for additional examination in order to produce a uniform calcium-enriched cheela instant mix. Drumstick leaf powder was added to the instant mix at three different levels (Table 1) T 1 (5% drumstick leaf powder), T 2 (7% drumstick leaf powder), T 3 (10% drumstick leaf powder), and Control (0% drumstick leaf powder). This was done to standardize the ingredients and obtain the most suitable blend. Ground oats (g) 5 8 10 10 Total amount (g) 100 100 100 100

Sensory evaluation

Using a nine-point hedonic rating scale developed by Swaminathan [21] , a panel of thirty semi-trained panelists evaluated the recommended formulations for sensory attributes. Appearance, color, texture, flavor, taste, and overall acceptance was evaluated. For additional nutritional and storage research, the formulation with the best sensory scores was selected.

Nutritional analysis

Using conventional methods, the proximate composition of the selected cheela instant mix and control sample was evaluated (AOAC 2000) [4] . The moisture content was measured using the hot air oven method; the ash content was measured using the muffle furnace method; crude protein was measured using the Kjeldahl method; crude fat was measured using Soxhlet extraction, and crude fiber was measured using acid-alkali digestion. Atwater conversion factors were used to calculate the energy value, and the difference technique was used to estimate the carbohydrate amount. Iron and calcium were the minerals whose contents were analyzed. Calcium content was determined using a flame photometer in compliance with the protocol outlined by Chikhale and Chikhale [6] , while iron level was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry in accordance with the method described by Bishnoi and Brar [5] .

Shelf life study

For thirty days, the most preferred cheela instant mix formulation was kept at room temperature in airtight plastic pouches. At regular intervals (0, 15, and 30 days), the samples were tested to evaluate changes in moisture content, microbial burden, and sensory quality. The Total Viable Count (TVC) was estimated using the conventional plate count method. The results were expressed in colony-forming units per gram (CFU/g), and the product's microbiological safety was assessed using recognized food quality guidelines.

Statistical Analysis

The collected data underwent the necessary statistical evaluations [18] . The nutritional makeup of the developed food products was compared and accessed using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), which was also employed to find notable differences in the sensory attributes and general acceptance of the developed goods prepared with different treatments. Nested Completely Randomized Design (Nested CRD) was used to assess significant changes in the created products' sensory characteristics, moisture content, and microbial load after storage.

Results and Discussion

Sensory evaluation

The sensory evaluation of cheela produced with different integrations of drumstick leaf powder is illustrated in Figure 1. T 3 , which had the greatest sensory scores and contained 10% drumstick leaf powder, was the panelists' favored treatment. T 1 (5% drumstick leaf powder) and T 2 (7% drumstick leaf powder) were both considered acceptable, but having lower overall acceptance than T 3 . The results showed that while reducing the amount to 5% had a negative impact on acceptance, adding drumstick leaf powder up to 10% enhanced the cheela's sensory attributes.

Based on these findings, T 3 (10% drumstick leaf powder) was identified as the optimal formulation and selected for further investigation.

Mineral composition

The calcium concentration increased from 214±1.72 to 388±0.80 mg/100 g, the most significant improvement among the minerals analyzed. This notable increase demonstrates the effectiveness of the fortification technique and confirms the formulation's superior calcium enrichment. Similar findings were noted by Gopalakrishnan et al.

Microbial analysis

The Total Viable Count (TVC) of the calcium-rich flour was nil on day 0, indicating good microbiological quality. Although it climbed to 4.8 × 10³ CFU/g on day 15 followed by 7.2 × 10³ CFU/g on day 30, it remained within the permissible threshold, suggesting that the flour's microbiological state was acceptable during the course of the 30-day storage period. The present findings are consistent with those of Zakaria et al. (2025), who discovered that changes in nutrient availability and storage circumstances led to a gradual increase in microbial load while storing instant supplemental food enriched with Moringa.

Conclusion

The present study effectively used dried drumstick (Moringa oleifera) leaves as a natural source of minerals and nutrients to create a calcium-enriched cheela instant mix powder derived from millet. By increasing the amounts of calcium, protein, fat, ash, and crude fiber, drumstick leaf powder significantly enhanced the nutritional profile of the formulation. With relatively minor changes in moisture content and microbial load, the generated instant mix was found to be microbiologically safe and acceptable throughout the storage period. Thus, one potential strategy is to use drumstick leaves to create a convenient, nutrientdense food product with higher calcium value and functional advantages.

Acknowledgment

The authors extend their heartfelt appreciation to the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Community and Applied Sciences, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology (MPUAT), Udaipur, for providing the essential infrastructure, resources, and institutional support that facilitated the successful completion of this research. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the faculty and laboratory personnel of the department for their continuous guidance, technical expertise, and valuable assistance throughout the course of the study.

References

1. Anitha S, Givens DI, Botha R, Kane-Potaka J, Sulaiman NLB, Tsusaka TW, et al. Calcium from finger millet-A systematic review and meta-analysis International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research https://www.biochemjournal.com on calcium retention, bone resorption, and in vitro bioavailability. Sustainability. 2021;13(16):8677.
2. Anwar F, Latif S, Ashraf M, Gilani AH. Moringa oleifera: A food plant with multiple medicinal uses. Phytother Res. 2007;21(1):17-25.
3. Ansari F, Singh A, Rana GK. Shelf life assessment of Moringa oleifera fortified (leaf powder) instant soup mixes. Asian J Dairy Food Res. 2020;39(3):251-255.
4. AOAC International. Official methods of analysis. 17th ed. Gaithersburg (MD): AOAC International; 2000.
5. Bishnoi RR, Brar SPS. A handbook of soil testing. Ludhiana: Punjab Agricultural University; 1988.
6. Chikhale HU, Chikhale PU. Flame photometric estimation of sodium and potassium ion present in water sample of Darna and Godavari River. Int J Sci Eng Res. 2017;8(1):131-135.
7. Dessta G, Kebede A, Habte T. Development of maizebased instant porridge flour formulated using sweet lupine, orange-fleshed sweet potato, and Moringa oleifera leaf powder. Food Sci Nutr. 2024;12:1-17.
8. Gopalakrishnan L, Doriya K, Kumar DS. Moringa oleifera: A review on nutritive importance and its medicinal application. Food Sci Hum Wellness. 2016;5(2):49-56.
9. Harinarayan CV, Akhila H, Shanthisree E. Modern India and dietary calcium deficiency-Half a century nutrition data-Retrospect, introspect and the road ahead. Front Endocrinol. 2021;12:583654.
10. Kashyap P, Kumar S, Riar CS, Jindal N, Baniwal P, Guiné RPF, et al. Recent advances in drumstick (Moringa oleifera) leaves bioactive compounds: Composition, health benefits, bioaccessibility, and dietary applications. Antioxidants. 2022;11(2):402.
11. Kumar A, Metwal M, Kaur S, Gupta AK, Puranik S, Singh S. Nutraceutical value of finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.], and their improvement using omics approaches. Front Plant Sci. 2016;7:934.
12. Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Hyderabad: National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research; 2017.
13. Malathi B, Appaji C, Reddy GR, Dattatri K, Sudhakar N. Growth pattern of millets in India. Indian J Agric Res. 2016;50(4):382-386.
14. Padulosi S, Mal B, King OI, Gotor E. Minor millets as a central element for sustainably enhanced incomes, empowerment, and nutrition in rural India. Sustainability. 2015;7(7):8904-8933.
15. Paudel D, Dhungana B, Caffe M, Krishnan P. A review of health-beneficial properties of oats. Foods. 2021;10(11):2591.
16. Pawase PA, Gaikwad MP, Veer SJ. Effect of processing techniques (pretreatments and drying) on physicochemical profile of drumstick leaves powder. Int J Chem Res Dev. 2019;1(1):8-11.
17. Puranik S, Kam J, Sahu PP, Yadav R, Srivastava RK, Ojulong H, et al. Harnessing finger millet to combat calcium deficiency in humans: Challenges and prospects. Front Plant Sci. 2017;8:1311.
18. Rangaswamy R. A textbook of agricultural statistics. 4th ed. New Delhi: New Age International; 2023.
19. Saini RK, Sivanesan I, Keum YS. Phytochemicals of Moringa oleifera: A review of their nutritional, therapeutic and industrial significance. 3 Biotech. 2016;6(2):203.
20. Sengev AI, Abu JO, Gernah DI. Effect of Moringa oleifera leaf powder supplementation on some quality characteristics of wheat bread. Food Nutr Sci. 2013;4(3):270-275.
21. Swaminathan M. Sensory methods of analysis of foods. In: Food science and experimental foods. Bangalore: Ganesh and Co.; 1987. p. 293-300.
22. Valdez-Solana MA, Mejía-García VY, Téllez-Valencia A, García-Arenas G, Salas-Pacheco J, Alba-Romero JJ, et al. Nutritional content and elemental and phytochemical analyses of Moringa oleifera grown in Mexico. J Chem. 2015;2015:860381.
23. Yun YR, Oh SJ, Lee MJ, Choi YJ, Park SJ, Lee MA, et al. Antioxidant activity and calcium bioaccessibility of Moringa oleifera leaf hydrolysate, as a potential calcium supplement in food. Food Sci Biotechnol. 2020;29(11):1563-1571.
24. Zakaria Z, Nursalim N, Titi Za AT. Accelerated shelflife assessment of Moringa-fortified instant complementary food for infants aged 6-11 months based on microbial parameters. Ital J Food Saf. 2025;14(3):13608.