Studies on the Storage Life of Almond nut ( Prunus amygdala var dulcis ) Milk using Pawpaw ( Carica papaya ) Extract as Local Preservative

Imitation milk was produced from almond seed and was preserved using a local preservative from carica papaya extract. Imitation milk is the milk which is made of food materials of vegetable origin, such as peanut, soybean and almond and may serve as a boom for the countries, where the supply of milk is inadequate. Almond milk has a short shelf life and is normally produced as homemade milk. Attempt is made in this study to extend the shelf life by the use of local preservatives.. Various concentration of papaya extract was used to determine the most appropriate concentration of papaya extract needed to give acceptable product. Concentration of 3% and 5% of papaya extract were added to the imitation milk and subjected to physicochemical, microbial, sensory analysis and shelf life study. Results obtained showed that the imitation milk contain 11.57% protein, 0.14% carbohydrate, 10.42% crude fat, and 6.71% ash. Total solid (23.73), pH (4.81–5.868); brix (5.5–7.0); viscosity (900–1117), specific gravity (1025–1033), titratable acidity(0.5–3.35). Microbial analysis showed 94×10 −6 –106×10 −5 cfu/ml, 93×10 −6 –99×10 − cfu/ml, Sensory analysis result showed that sample with 5% carica papaya extract was most preferred and contain the least microbial load. The use of papaya extract was found to increase the shelf life of the almond milk to seven days in this study. Support or Funding Information Self funding