<abstract>
<p>The present study was undertaken to standardize the milk fat, stevia level, and optimize fortification of carrot pulp at 10, 20 or 30 % levels separately replacing the chakka for production of low-fat and low-sugar functional shrikhand, a fermented Indian dessert from cow milk. On the basis of sensory evaluation, it was determined that the most favorable shrikhand was prepared using milk with 1.5% fat and replacing 60% of the sugar with stevia. Additionally, the incorporation of carrot pulp at a 20% level was identified as the optimal choice. This carrot pulp-enriched shrikhand was further assessed for its physico-chemical attributes such as pH, thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) value and water activity, microbiological quality (including total plate count, coliform, psychrophilic, yeast and mold counts), and sensory characteristics over a 9-day period, with evaluations at intervals of three days (0, 3, 6, and 9 days), and then it was compared with the control. Although the mean TBARS values showed an increasing trend, the values of carrot pulp treated shrikhand (0.497 mg manolaldehyde/kg) was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than control (0.582 mg manolaldehyde/kg) samples during the 9 days storage period. Further, the sensory evaluation results of shrikhand with carrot pulp exhibited significantly higher (p < 0.05) mean scores for color, appearance, and overall acceptability. The microbiological quality parameters of both products (control and treated) remained within permissible limits, when stored under refrigerated conditions for up to 9 days. In conclusion, shrikhand with 20% carrot pulp is recommended due to its ability to add value to the product by enhancing its functional properties and overall acceptability.</p>
</abstract>
