Effect of Modified Atmosphere Packaging on Physicochemical, Sensory and Microbiological Properties of Spray‐Dried Sea Buckthorn Fruit Juice Powder

Sea buckthorn fruit juice powder was developed in order to assess the shelf stability by spray drying process. The developed product was packed in paper foil polyethylene pouch, sealed under different modified atmosphere packaging conditions, viz. air,CO2,N2and vacuum, and stored at room temperature. Physicochemical properties of juice powder show that the sugars significantly increased, while vitaminsCandE, total phenols, carotenoids and anthocyanins significantly reduced during storage at the above conditions. Moisture, bulk density, solubility, dispersibility and browning exhibited slight insignificant changes. Sensory properties of stored juice powder show that the vacuum‐packed samples recorded highest organoleptic scores and air‐packed samples showed least scores. Microbiological properties show that the product exhibited nil microbial growth and they were acceptable up to a period of 8 months. Vacuum‐stored samples exhibited superior qualities when compared to air‐,CO2‐ andN2‐stored samples in terms of physicochemical, sensory and microbiological properties. Practical Applications Sea buckthorn fruit juice can be converted into powder form and can be utilized throughout the year because of spray drying process. The product stability can be enhanced by adopting modified atmosphere packing as a novel technique; therefore, this study will help the entrepreneur to successfully utilize this product by reconstituting it into juice and further it into products such as jam, ready to serve and squash during off‐season period also. This study will find a path to market the product successfully because of its higher shelf stability.