Abstract:
The present study was undertaken to examine the possibility of the formulation of a
novel seasoning cube based on locally available spices and herbs (black pepper, ginger,
turmeric, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, chili, coriander, cumin, fennel, and curry
leaves) , Moringa leaves powder, and natural alternatives (mushroom, tomato, carrot,
and garlic powders) for monosodium glutamate and additional functional ingredients
such as sodium chloride, corn flour, vegetable fat (Margarine), and xanthan gum were
also used. Five formulations of seasoning cubes were prepared by changing the
percentages of Moringa leaves powder (3%,6%,9%,12%, and 15% w/w) and a mixture
of spices and herbs (22%,19%,16%,13%, and 10% w/w) and the control sample was
formulated without incorporating Moringa leaves powder. All the formulations were
subjected to proximate analysis (moisture, ash, fat, protein, fiber, and carbohydrate),
physicochemical analysis (color, pH value, dispersibility, and weight), microbial
analysis (yeast and mold count and aerobic plate count), and sensory evaluation. The
shelf-life of the product was studied during 90 days of the storage period by evaluating
the changes in weight, moisture content, pH value, and microbial qualities. Moreover,
all the formulations exhibited acceptable limits on microbial quality parameters
throughout the storage period. According to the sensory evaluation, the sample which
was formulated by incorporating 9% Moringa leaves powder, 13% spices and herbs
mixture, 25% monosodium glutamate alternative, 10% sodium chloride, 25% vegetable
fat, 14% corn flour, and 1% xanthan gum was found to be the best treatment (p < 0.05)
with the highest overall acceptability of 4.77+0.43. According to the proximate
analysis, the aforementioned spices-based seasoning cube sample contained
13.13+-0.62% moisture, 14.34+-0.77% ash, 2.61+-0.22% crude fat, 9.63+-0.35% crude
protein, 3.86+0.09oA crude fiber, and 56.43+-1.15% carbohydrate.
