Development of whey‐fruit‐based energy drink mixes using D‐optimal mixture design

Summary The study deals with two whey‐fruit‐based energy drink mixes developed using freeze drying. D‐optimal mixture design with 2 factors at 5 levels was used for the optimisation of ingredients. The responses studied were overall acceptability and acidity of the formulations. The whey/grape juice and whey/pomegranate juice ratios selected on the basis of response analysis was 49:51 and 40:60, respectively. The energy drinks were freeze‐dried and packed in paper/Al foil/polythene (PFP) pouches were stored at ambient temperature as well as 37 ○C. Periodic evaluation revealed that whey‐grape and whey‐pomegranate energy drink mixes had a shelf life of 9 and 8 months, respectively. The addition of caffeine at 200 ppm level did not impart any adverse change in sensory quality.