Studies on sensory properties and cost of production of Lassi blended with date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) Pulp

Introduction

India is the leading milk-producing country in the world. Milk production increased from 146.31 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 247.87 million tonnes in 2024-25, registering a 69.41 per cent increase, with an annual growth rate of about 6.3 per cent, compared with around 2 per cent globally. Per capita milk availability increased from 319 to 485 g/day during the same period, compared with the world average of 394 g/day. The livestock sector contributed 30.87 per cent to the economic value added of the agricultural and allied sectors and 5.49 per cent to the national economic value added in 2023-24, highlighting the growing importance of the dairy sector in India (Anonymous 2025-26) [1] . Milk is a rich source of essential minerals and vitamins, while changing dietary patterns have contributed to the rising prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases (Dixit et al. 2018) [3] . Lassi is a traditional fermented milk beverage widely consumed in India and is a popular indigenous dairy product. It is generally prepared by blending curd with water to obtain the desired consistency and may be served as sweet or savoury. Sugar is added to sweet lassi, while salt and spices such as roasted cumin powder are used for savoury varieties. Lassi is particularly popular during summer due to its refreshing and cooling properties and is valued for its pleasant taste and health benefits (Pagore et al. 2025) [13] . Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.), belonging to the family Arecaceae (Palmae), is one of the oldest cultivated fruit crops. The fruit is a sweet, fleshy drupe consisting of an edible mesocarp, hardened endosperm (pit), and calyx cap. It is consumed fresh, dried, or as a paste and is valued for its high natural sugar and carbohydrate content. Date fruits contain approximately 50.00 to 88.00 per cent carbohydrates, depending on variety, maturity, and moisture content, along with proteins, lipids, dietary fibre, minerals, vitamins, tannins, and other phytochemicals. Thus, dates are considered a nutritious fruit and a natural source of readily available energy (Mete et al. 2017) [12] .

Materials and Methods

The present study was conducted during 2025-26 in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Science, College of Agriculture, Latur, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani.

Materials

Curd, date palm and crystalline cane sugar was purchased from local market.

Methodology

Fresh Kimia dates were peeled, deseeded, and ground into a smooth pulp. The pulp was collected in clean containers and refrigerated until further use. Buffalo milk standardized to 6 per cent fat and 9 per cent SNF was heated at 85°C for 10 minutes and subsequently cooled to 35°C. The cooled milk was inoculated with 2 per cent starter culture and incubated at 35°C for approximately 8 hours to obtain firm curd. After complete coagulation, the curd was gently stirred to break the coagulum and achieve a uniform consistency. Potable water, equivalent to 20 per cent of the curd weight, was added, followed by the incorporation of date palm pulp according to the respective treatment combinations. Sugar was added according to the desired level of sweetness, and the mixture was thoroughly blended to obtain a smooth and homogeneous lassi. Finally, the prepared lassi was packed in clean, sterilized containers and stored under refrigerated conditions (7 ± 2 °C) until further analysis. [10] Treatment combination For the preparation of lassi incorporated with date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) pulp, different treatment combinations were evaluated on a weight basis as given below: T₁ (Control): 100% curd + 15% sugar T₂: 94% curd + 6% date palm pulp + 14% sugar T₃: 91% curd + 9% date palm pulp + 12% sugar T₄: 88% curd + 12% date palm pulp + 10% sugar

Sensory Evaluation

The sensory quality of the control and date palm pulp incorporated lassi was evaluated by a semi-trained panel of five judges using a 9-point hedonic scale for colour and appearance, flavour, taste, consistency and overall acceptability. A score card was provided to all the judges for sensory evaluation using the 9point hedonic scale developed by the Quartermaster Food and Container Institute, U.S.A. (Gupta, 1976) [4] .

Cost of production

The cost of producing the control and date palm pulpincorporated lassi was calculated using the prevailing market prices of milk, sugar, and date palm pulp. The cost of fuel and other materials used during processing was included under miscellaneous expenses. The total cost of production was then worked out for each treatment. [15] , who reported that incorporation of finger millet flour at 2, 3 and 4 per cent influenced the colour and appearance score of lassi, resulting in decrease score of lassi from 7.97 to 7.66, 7.54 and 7.17, respectively.

Results and Discussion

Flavour score of lassi blended with date palm pulp

The mean scores for flavour in control (T₁) and lassi blended with date palm pulp T₂, T₃ and T₄ were 7.13, 7.75, 8.25 and 8.75, respectively. The significant increase in flavour score of lassi with date palm pulp was due to the pleasant characteristic flavour and natural sweetness of date palm pulp at higher levels of incorporation, which enhanced the desirable flavour and taste of lassi. The results of the present study are similar to Jadhav (2013) [8] , who reported that incorporation of orange juice at 5, 10, 15 and 20 per cent levels influenced the flavour score of lassi, resulting in an increase in score from 8.15 in control to 8.76 with 20 per cent orange juice.

Taste score of lassi blended with date palm pulp

The mean score for taste in control (T₁) and lassi blended with date palm pulp T₂, T₃ and T₄ were 7.75, 8.25, 8.75 and 7.25, respectively. The taste score increased with increase in the level of date palm pulp up to T₃, followed by a decrease at higher level of incorporation. The taste score of treatment T₃ (8.75) was highest among all the treatments, whereas T₄ (7.25) recorded the lowest score. The significant increase in taste score up to T₃ may be attributed to the optimum of date palm pulp, which resulted in better taste and acceptability of lassi. The results of the present study are similar to Jamdar et al. (2020) [9] , who reported that incorporation of germinated bio-fortified sorghum grain extract influenced the taste score of lassi, resulting in an increase in score from 7.55 in control to 8.13 in T₃ (70:30), followed by a decrease to 7.10 in T₄ (60:40).

Consistency score of lassi blended with date palm pulp

The mean score for consistency in control (T₁) and lassi blended with date palm pulp T₂, T₃ and T₄ were 8.88, 8.38, 8.13 and 7.50, respectively. The consistency score decreased with increase in the level of date palm pulp, resulting in the highest score (8.88) in control T₁ and the lowest score (7.50) in T₄. The significant decrease in consistency score with increasing levels of date palm pulp may be attributed to the higher level of pulp incorporation, which affected the desirable consistency of lassi. The results of the present study are similar to Kedaree et al. (2021) [10] , who reported that incorporation of kiwi pulp at 2.5, 5 and 7.5 per cent levels influenced the consistency score of lassi, with the highest score (8.30) at 2.5 per cent kiwi pulp and the lowest score (7.18) at 7.5 per cent.

Overall acceptability score of lassi blended with date palm pulp

The mean score for overall acceptability in control (T₁) and lassi blended with date palm pulp T₂, T₃ and T₄ were 8.25, 8.88, 7.75 and 7.25, respectively. The overall acceptability score increased with increase in the level of date palm pulp up to T₂, followed by a decrease at higher levels of incorporation, resulting in the highest score (8.88) in T₂ and the lowest score (7.25) in T₄. The overall acceptability increased up to T₂ and subsequently decreased with further increase in date palm pulp incorporation, indicating T₂ as the most acceptable treatment. The results of the present study are similar to Dhumal et al. (2018) [2] , who reported that incorporation of Mentha arvensis extract influenced the overall acceptability score of lassi, with the highest score (8.00) at 2.5 per cent extract and the lowest score (7.17) at 7.5 per cent extract.

B. Cost of production of prepared product

The production cost of control lassi and date palm pulp blended lassi was calculated on the basis of the cost of ingredients used, i.e., dahi, date palm pulp and sugar required to prepare a given quantity of the product. In addition to ingredients cost, fuel and labour charges were also considered while calculating production cost. The ingredients were taken according to their market price. The production cost of date palm pulp blended lassi was worked out and is presented in Table 6. The production cost of control lassi (T₁) and lassi blended with date palm pulp at 6, 9 and 12 per cent levels (T₂, T₃ and T₄) was found to be Rs. 112.07, 123.34, 130.03 and 136.92 per 1000 ml respectively. It was observed that there was an increase in the production cost of date palm pulp blended lassi in comparison to control sample. The percentage increase in production cost of date palm pulp blended lassi was due to the incorporation of date palm pulp in the formulation.

There was an increase of Rs. 11.27, 17.96 and 24.85 per 1000 ml in the production cost of T₂, T₃ and T₄ over the control sample. The increased production cost of blended lassi was due to the high cost of date palm pulp incorporated at different levels.

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