SPICE BASED TREATMENT TO INCREASE THE SHELF LIFE OF PANNER – CLOVE A PROMISING SPICE

Abstract

Panner is the important nutritious and whole some indigenous diary product which occupy a prominent place among traditional milk product and carry a lot of market potential. However, like any other milk products, panner too is perishable in nature having a very short shelf life. Little information is available on panner regarding the microbiology aspects during storage, which is the main cause of its spoilage. This study was carried out to identify the potential of spices as natural preservative agents to increase shelf life of panner. Of the 12 spices tested we found that clove (and clove oil) effective in enhancing the shelf life of panner. Further, the clove oil was found to be a better antagonistic agent compared to clove aqueous infusion. The in vitro antibacterial activity of clove oil was tested against the microorganism contaminating and spoiling panner by Agar-well diffusion assay. There was a direct correlation between the amounts of clove in the Agar well to that of zone of inhibition. The effective and lowest minimum inhibitory concentration of clove oil was found to be 0.01%. The clove oil treated panner could extend the shelf life to 40 days. However, except for hardening (observed after 20th day) the panner sample were free of contamination. Supported by the sensory valuation studies, we opine that clove oil could be an effective bio-preservative spice in increasing the shelf life of panner.