Development and Evaluation of Prebiotic-Enriched Instant Dosa Mix: Acceptability, Physical Characteristics and Storage Stability

Abstract

Prebiotic-enriched instant foods offer a promising approach to improve dietary fibre intake while providing convenient and acceptable alternatives to traditional fermented products. The present study was undertaken to standardise a prebiotic-enriched instant dosa mix for its potential use as a functional food. Four prebiotic ingredients—fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS), psyllium husk (PH), guar gum (GG), and gum karaya (GK) were incorporated at three levels (1.25, 2.5, and 5%) and evaluated through two preparation approaches: instant (non-fermented) and overnight-fermented dosa. The developed formulations were assessed for sensory acceptability, acceptability index, and functional cooking characteristics. Sensory evaluation revealed that the response varied with both prebiotic level and fermentation approach. Among the formulations, FOS 1.5% fermented overnight, PH 1.5% fermented overnight, GG 2.5% non-fermented, and GK 1.5% non-fermented showed the highest acceptability within their respective groups. The 2.5% guar gum non-fermented dosa (GG 2.5%) recorded the highest overall acceptability index (94.79 ± 1.29%) and was identified as the best formulation. Functional evaluation across enrichment levels highlighted that batter weight and cooked-product weight differed significantly, reflecting water interaction and moisture retention. Cooking time was consistently influenced by prebiotic type, with FOS formulations requiring longer cooking durations, while guar gum fermentation extended cooking time further. Diameter showed minor but significant variation at 2.5% enrichment, whereas thickness remained statistically comparable across treatments. At the 1.25% level, differences were mainly observed in batter weight and cooking time, while at 5% enrichment, guar gum and FOS altered cooking behaviour without affecting diameter or thickness. These findings indicate that prebiotic incorporation primarily affected batter weight, cooked weight, and cooking time, while diameter and thickness remained stable. The standardised 2.5% guar gum non-fermented dosa mix thus provided the most favourable combination of sensory acceptability and functional cooking characteristics.