Shrikhand

Shrikhand, a semi-solid, sweetish-sour fermented milk product, is very close to flavoured quarg of Germany. It is a popular dessert of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka and forms part of meal especially on festive occasions. Shrikhand is prepared by fermentation of milk with lactic acid bacteria, expulsion of whey from the curd, followed by mixing with sugar, flavouring and spices. The composition of this product is: 34-40 percent moisture, 43-45 percent sugar, 4-6 percent fat, and 10-12 percent milk solids-not-fat.

i. Standards

The standards prescribed for Shrikhand by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and under the prevention of food adulteration act (PFA) are presented in table . 

PFA/BIS standards for shrikhand

 ii. Chemical Composition

The chemical composition of shrikhand depend upon the type and quality of milk, processing conditions employed, and fruits/spices used. The physico chemical properties and chemical composition of shrikhand are presented in below tables respectively. The chemical composition of Shrikhand sold in Gujarat is given in table . 

Composition of dahi, chakka, and shrikhand

Physico-chemical parameters of shrikhand marketed in

Gujarat and Maharashtra

Average values of product made in the un-organized sector.

Average values of product made by the mechanized process in the organized sector.

Chemical composition of shrikhand sold in Gujarat

iii. Manufacture of Shrikhand

The method of manufacture of shrikhand involves the preparation of curd or dahi by fermentation of milk with starter culture, preparation of chakka by draining whey from the curd and blending additives like sugar, color, flavour, species and fruits to obtain a desired composition and consistency.

i) Traditional method: The traditional method of making shrikhand consists of preparation of dahi by culturing cow or buffalo milk with natural starter culture (curd from previous batch), preparation of chakka by draining whey from dahi followed by blending sugar, colour, flavouring materials and spices.Milk of cow or buffalo, or mixed milk is heated to boiling and then cooled to 30o-35-oC. It is inoculated with dahi (lactic culture) @ 0.5 to 1 per cent from the previous day’s production. Milk is left at room temperature (30o-35oC) until it sets firmly. It is then stirred and hung in a muslin cloth for 10 to 12 hours,to drain off whey. The product so obtained is called chakka or maska. The chakka yield is about 65 kg per 100 kg of milk, depending upon the composition of milk.

The chakka is mixed with the required amount of sugar (usually 50-100 per cent of curd quantity), flavour, colour, herbs and spices. Commonly used additives include saffron, cream, charoli, almonds, nutmeg, cashew nut, mango pulp, raisins, and seasonal fruits. The shrikhand yield is about 1.5 to 2.0 kg per kg of chakka used. Shrikhand is served chilled. Consumers in Gujarat prefer its sweet variety while those in Maharashtra prefer the tangy/soury variety.

ii) Industrial method: The fully mechanized and continuous process has been developed for industrial production of shrikhand. With the development of the dairy industry, shrikhand production has become industrialized. The process consists of centrifugal separation of whey from the curd and the mechanical mixing of ‘chakka;, sugar and species, making the entire process hygienic as well as labour and time saving. Fig. 2.3 shows the industrial method of shrikhand manufacture. Normally skim milk is used for making dahi for the manufacture of Shrikhand. By using skim milk, not only are fat losses eliminated, but faster moisture expulsion and less moisture retention in the curd are achieved. Skim milk is heated to 85oC for 30 min. This heat treatment results in denaturation of â-lactoglobulin, which in turn interacts with casein on acid coagulation, thereby increasing the yield. Also high temperatures are believed to result in the alteration of proteins in milk, which favours the growth, and activity of starter culture.Also, application of heat to milk results in the destruction of certain heat labile inhibitors as well as many of the competing microorganisms that are present in raw milk. The industrial production involves the following steps:

Preparation of dahi/curd: Skim milk (9% SNF, 0.05% fat) is heated to 90oC for 15 seconds in HTST pasteurizer, cooled to 30oC and inoculated with 0.25 – 0.50 per cent dahi culture of mixed strains. After eight hours of inoculation period, the required acidity (0.8 to 1.0% lactic acid) is achieved, and the curd is ready for further processing.

Preparation of chakka: Chakka/maska is prepared by separating the whey from dahi. Earlier, a 28 inch diameter basket centrifuge at 1,100 rpm was used that produced 80 kg of curd per hour. Now, the process has been upgraded by using a quarg separator. Its capacity is 2,500 kg of curd per hour.

Preparation of shrikhand from chakka: Shrikhand is prepared by adding sugar at the rate of 80% of the amount of chakka and mixed in a planetary mixer. Required amount of plastic cream (80% fat) is added along with sugar to chakka so as to give at least 8.5 per cent fat in the finished product on dry matter basis.The processing conditions for the manufacture of shrikhand have been standardized.The final product contains 5 per cent fat, 42 per cent sugar and 60 per cent total solids. The acidity of the product is usually between 1.10 and 1.40 per cent (expressed as lactic acid). The protein content of the product is 10.5 percent.

Upgraded process for shrikhand manufacture.

Starter cultures: The use of right type of culture is essential for the manufacture of shrikhand. A mixed culture containing Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis,Lactococcus lactis subsp. diacetilactis/ Leuconostoc, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris in the ratio of 1:1:1 may be used. Other recommended cultures are yogurt containing Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (1:1) or LF-40, a culture compromise of Lactococcus lactis subsp.Lactis and Lactococcus lactis subsp. diacetilactis.

Separation of whey from curd: it is carried out in a quarg separator that can handle 2,500 kg of curd input per hour. This permits to scale up the production to 8-tonnes/ day with installation of other equipment of matching capacity. This process has been further refined for enhancing shelf life of shrikhand by pasteurization.

Mixing of chakka with cream and sugar: The mixing capacity in the earlier process was limited since the planetary mixer could only handle up to 40 kg/batch.

Packaging of Shrikhand: The shrikhand is packaged in pre-formed polystyrene cups/containers of various sizes ranging from 100 g to 1.0 kg. However, small manufacture sell the product in paper-board boxes.

Industrial method of shrikhand manufacture