Development of millet based ready-to-drink beverage for geriatric population

Three flavoured ready-to-drink beverages were developed using sorghum and finger millet as the base material. Desiccated coconut, fresh carrot and cocoa powder were used for colour and flavour. Optimization was done using laboratory scale trials and bench top sensory evaluation. Total suspended solids of the beverages ranged from 43.8 to 44.4 degrees Brix. Firmness, consistency, cohesiveness and index of viscosity did not differ significantly (p < 0.05) among the treatments. Optimized beverages were acceptable to consumers as indicated by the overall acceptability score above 7 on a 9 point hedonic scale. Radical scavenging activity (RSA %) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in coconut flavoured beverage (76.6) while total phenolic content was significantly (p < 0.01) higher in carrot flavoured beverage (142.2 mg/GAE).