Vol. 10, Issue 11 (2021)

Author(s):
PR Adsure and Dr. UD Chavan

Abstract:
The present research was carried out to study the effect of storage on calcium and iron content of dehydrated fenugreek, spinach and coriander. Three fresh green leafy vegetables namely fenugreek, spinach and coriander were given pretreatments of plain water blanching and chemical blanching [KMS (0.02 per cent) + MgO (1.5gram) + citric acid (1 per cent) + NaHCO₃ (1.5 per cent) + NaCl (1.5 per cent)] and dehydrated in cabinet tray dryer at the temperature of 55 ⁰C for time of 7-8 hours. These dehydrated leafy greens were packed in polypropylene plastic bags and stored at (30+2 ⁰C) ambient temperature for a period of 3 months. The stored samples were chemically analysed for calcium and iron content at monthly intervals. The calcium content of dehydrated fenugreek was 396.22mg per 100g, in spinach 97.81mg per 100g and in coriander 183.05mg per 100g respectively. The iron content of dehydrated fenugreek was 4.05mg per 100g, in spinach 2.68mg per 100g and in coriander 2.15mg per 100g respectively. The calcium content and iron content of chemically blanched dehydrated samples were found higher than plain water blanched samples.