Effect of processing variables on quality of milk burfi prepared with and without sugar.

Milk burfi is an Indian traditional confectionery prepared using concentrated milk and sugar. The texture and quality of burfi vary depending on processing conditions and storage period. The effect of processing variable namely total soluble solids (TSS) at the end of cooking and duration of storage on the texture and sensory quality of burfi prepared with and without sugar was studied by applying response surface methodology. Sorbitol with and without added aspartame was used as sugar alternative. Simultaneous optimization by desirability approach was carried out on the independent variables to get the optimum levels within the experimental conditions. It was found that the optimum conditions for burfi prepared with sugar were: TSS of 78°B and 2–3 days of storage. Burfi prepared at optimum conditions had a breaking strength of 13.3 N with a sensory overall acceptability score of 9.5 on a 10-point scale. Similarly, for burfi prepared with sorbitol to obtain a product close to its sugar counterpart required a TSS of 77.5°B and storage for 5–6 days to obtain a breaking strength of 12.9 N and a sensory overall acceptability score of 9.1.