Studies of a 2:1 sodium carbonate:sodium bicarbonate mixture as papadkhar substitute for papads

The papad khar is an essential and vital ingredient in papad making, and contributes to organoleptic quality in terms of crispness and expansion of fried papads. However, the quality of papad khar varies from one geographical region to another, causing widespread problems in standardization. This work aims at developing a 2:1 combination of sodium carbonate: sodium bicarbonate as a papad khar substitute for papads in terms of fried papad quality, and the post-frying quality of the oil. Results indicate the substitute to be effective at 1%. However, analysis of the fried oil quality indicates that it is effective for up to two frying cycles. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.