Kheer is a traditional Indian milk-based dessert prepared by cooking cereals, mainly rice, in milk until starch gelatinization occurs, followed by the addition of sweeteners such as sugar or jaggery (Jha et al., 2015). With changing lifestyles and increasing demand for convenience foods, instant kheer mixes have gained importance, as multiple heat treatments during processing improve texture, shelf life and ease of preparation (Bunkar et al., 2012). The traditional rice kheer has been diversified using pulses, cereals, tubers, fruits and seeds to enhance its nutritional quality (Unnikrishnan et al., 2000). Instant kheer mix represents a growing segment within India’s ready-to-mix food market, which was valued at USD 451.3 million in 2024 and is expanding rapidly, with dessert mixes gaining increasing market share due to demand for convenient traditional sweets (TechSci Research, 2024).
       
Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch ex Poir) is a nutrient-rich vegetable containing b-carotene, ascorbic acid, dietary fibre, pectin, minerals and several bioactive compounds with antioxidant and hypocholesterolaemia properties, making it valuable for combating malnutrition (Pandey et al., 2003; Dhiman et al., 2018). However, due to its high moisture content and perishability, drying is an effective method to extend shelf life, reduce storage and transportation costs post-harvest loss and enable off-season utilization. Drying into powder improves shelf life and enables its use in value-added products (Guine et al., 2011).
       
Amaranth is gaining attention as a climate-resilient, nutrient-dense pseudo-cereal with higher protein content and better lysine balance than conventional cereals, making it suitable for addressing protein malnutrition and for gluten-free product development (Capriles et al., 2008; Caselato-Sousa and Amaya-Farfan, 2012). It is also a rich source of essential minerals, including calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, iron, potassium and phosphorus. Additionally, amaranth contains various bioactive compounds such as phytosterols, polyphenols, saponins and squalene, which contribute to its nutritional and health-promoting properties (Mlakar et al., 2009; Alvarez-Jubete  et al., 2009).
       
Despite their nutritional potential, limited studies have explored the combined use of these ingredients in ready-to-cook products like kheer mix, with most focusing on individual incorporation rather than synergistic effects. Meanwhile, growing urbanization has increased demand for convenient, hygienic and shelf-stable premixes that save time while ensuring consistent quality and improved nutrition. Therefore, the development of an amaranth kheer mix incorporated with pumpkin powder using amaranth as a base and enrichment with pumpkin powder provides a nutritious, functional and value-added ready-to-cook dessert.

The research was carried out during the year 2024-2025 at the College of Food Technology, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), Parbhani. The good quality raw materials such as pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata), amaranth seeds, skim milk powder, sugar, dry fruits like almond, dry dates, coconut shreds and cardamom etc. were procured from local market of Parbhani.
 
Preparation of pumpkin powder
 
Pumpkin powder was produced with minor changes to the procedure of Mittal et al., (2019). Fully matured pumpkins were washed, cut, deseeded, peeled and sliced uniformly, followed by rewashing. The slices were steam-blanched and treated with 750 ppm potassium metabisulphite for 10 min, then dried in a cabinet dryer at 60±2°C for 6-7 h. The dried slices were milled, sieved through an 80-mesh (180 µm) screen and stored in polyethylene pouches for further analysis. The separated seeds were also dried and their kernels were used for subsequent studies.
 
Preparation of flour from germinated amaranth seeds
 
Germinated flour was prepared with slight modifications to the method of (Thakur et al., 2021; Bachate et al., 2025). Cleaned grains (250 g) were soaked in 1000 mL water for 8 h at room temperature in darkness using a muslin-covered beaker. The soaked grains were drained, wrapped in a moist muslin cloth and allowed to sprout for 72 h with periodic sprinkling of water to maintain moisture. The germinated grains were then dried in a cabinet dryer at 60°C for 4 h, cooled, milled into flour, sieved through a 70-mesh screen and stored in polyethylene zipper bags for further analysis.
 
Preparation of kheer mix
 
The kheer mix was prepared by blending raw or germinated amaranth flour with pumpkin powder, while keeping the levels of skim milk powder, sugar, pumpkin seeds, dry dates powder, coconut shreds, almond powder and cardamom powder constant. The control contained 35% untreated amaranth flour without pumpkin powder, whereas in the treatments (KG₀-KG₄) germinated amaranth flour was progressively replaced with pumpkin powder at 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%. All ingredients were accurately weighed, mixed uniformly and packed in laminated airtight pouches. The detailed formulation is presented in Table 1.


       
For reconstitution, about 100 g of the mix was added to boiling potable water in a 1:8 ratio and cooked at 90±2°C for 5-6 min with intermittent stirring until the desired consistency was obtained and the product was served hot or after cooling.
 
Sensory analysis of prepared kheer
 
Sensory evaluation of the kheer will be conducted by a semi-trained panel comprising staff and students of the College of Food Technology, VNMKV, Parbhani, having prior experience in sensory analysis. The samples will be assessed for colour and appearance, texture/mouthfeel, flavour, taste and overall acceptability using a 9-point hedonic scale ranging from 9 (like extremely) to 1 (dislike extremely) as described by (Ocheme and Chinma, 2008; Kolwate et al., 2021).
 
Proximate and Mineral composition analysis
 
The proximate composition and mineral content of the amaranth kheer mix incorporated with pumpkin powder were analysed using standard AOAC (2005) methods. Moisture, crude fat, protein, fibre, ash and carbohydrate contents were determined to evaluate the nutritional quality. The mineral profile, including calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc, manganese, copper and selenium, was evaluated.
 
Bioactive component analysis
 
Total carotenoids, total phenolics and total flavonoids in amaranth kheer mix incorporated with pumpkin powder were determined using standard analytical procedures.
 
Total carotenoid estimation
 
A known weight of sample was extracted with acetone and transferred to petroleum ether using 5% sodium sulphate solution. The volume was made up to 25 ml and absorbance was recorded at 452 nm. The carotenoid content was calculated from a standard curve following Ranganna (2019).
  

    

 
Determination of total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC)
 
Sample extraction
 
Sample extraction was carried out with slight changes to the method of Halim et al., (2024). One gram of the sample was mixed with 9 mL of 90% methanol and stirred at 100 rpm for 20 min. The mixture was filtered through Whatman No. 41 filter paper and the filtrate was kept at 4°C in the dark until further analysis.
 
Total phenolic content (TPC)
 
Total phenolic content was measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu procedure as outlined by Halim et al., (2024). A 0.5 mL portion of the extract was combined with an equal volume of Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, then 2 mL of 7.5% sodium carbonate and distilled water were added. The mixture was kept at room temperature for colour development, centrifuged and the absorbance was taken at 725 nm. The phenolic content was quantified from a gallic acid calibration curve and reported as gallic acid equivalents.
 
Total flavonoid content (TFC)
 
Total flavonoid content was determined by a modified spectrophotometric procedure described by Halim et al., (2024). The extract was treated successively with sodium nitrite, aluminium chloride and sodium hydroxide, then centrifuged and kept in the dark for colour development. The absorbance was recorded at 510 nm and the results were calculated from a quercetin standard curve and expressed as quercetin equivalents.
 
Statistical analysis
 
All experimental data were subjected to statistical analysis using a completely randomized design (CRD). The significance of differences among treatments was evaluated through analysis of variance (ANOVA) in accordance with the method described by Panse and Shukhatame (1985).

Sensory evaluation of amaranth kheer incorporated with pumpkin powder
 
Sensory evaluation of kheer incorporated with pumpkin powder, as presented in Table 2, showed a significant improvement in all quality attributes compared to the control. The control sample recorded the lowest scores for appearance, colour, taste, flavour, texture and overall acceptability, whereas a progressive increase in scores was observed from KG₀ to KG₃. The highest overall acceptability (8.60) with superior sensory scores was obtained in KG₃, indicating it as the most preferred treatment. A slight decline in KG4 suggests that excessive incorporation negatively influenced sensory quality. The enhancement in appearance and colour can be attributed to the presence of carotenoid pigments in pumpkin, which impart an attractive creamy yellow to orange hue. Improved taste and flavour may be due to the natural sweetness and characteristic cooked pumpkin flavour that blended well with the milk base. The higher texture scores in optimized treatments might be associated with the dietary fibre and pectic substances in pumpkin powder that increased viscosity and provided a desirable body, while higher levels produced a slightly heavy consistency and dominant flavour, thereby reducing acceptability. Similar findings were reported in pumpkin fortified dairy products and traditional milk sweets, where sensory scores increased up to an optimum level and declined at higher incorporation levels due to intense flavour and increased thickness (Kulkarni et al., 2016; Kaur and Sharma, 2017; Waghmare et al., 2019).


 
Proximate composition of amaranth kheer mix incorporated with pumpkin powder
 
The proximate composition of kheer mix incorporated with different levels of pumpkin powder analysed and reported in Table 3. Moisture content decreased significantly from 5.47% in the control to 4.03% in KG₄. This reduction may be attributed to the low moisture content of pumpkin powder and its higher total solids, which lowered the overall water content of the mix. Fat content also showed a significant decreasing trend from 5.01 to 3.95% with increasing levels of pumpkin powder, which could be due to the dilution effect caused by replacement of milk solids with a low-fat plant material. A similar decreasing pattern was observed in protein content (16.55 to 14.63%), which might be related to the lower protein content of pumpkin powder compared to dairy ingredients.

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In contrast, crude fibre and ash content increased significantly with the increase in pumpkin powder level. Crude fibre rose from 2.40% in the control to 2.99% in KG₄, which is directly associated with the high dietary fibre content of pumpkin. The ash content increased from 3.24 to 3.74%, indicating improvement in total mineral content due to the presence of minerals in pumpkin powder. Carbohydrate content showed a significant increasing trend (67.27 to 70.66%), which may be explained by the higher proportion of carbohydrates in pumpkin powder and the simultaneous reduction in fat, protein and moisture. These changes clearly indicate that incorporation of pumpkin powder enhanced the fibre, mineral and carbohydrate content of the kheer mix while reducing fat and protein levels.
       
The results reported that the incorporation of pumpkin powder in amaranth kheer mix significantly affected its proximate composition. An increase in pumpkin powder concentration led to a decrease in moisture, fat and protein contents, while crude fiber, ash and carbohydrate contents increased proportionally. These trends were in close agreement with previous findings by (Adil et al., 2023), Who emphasized that pumpkin addition enhances the fiber, ash and carbohydrate content of value-added products. From nutrional point of view, the fortification of kheer mix with pumpkin powder enhances nutritional quality, reduces fat content and contributes to a healthier, fiber enriched product suitable for all age group consumers.
       
The present results are consistent with earlier studies on the use of fruit and vegetable powders in traditional dairy products. Comparable trends were reported in vegetable-based kheer mix (Dhiman et al., 2018) and pumpkin-enriched milk sweets (Waghmare et al., 2019), where higher levels of supplementation enhanced fibre and mineral content. These findings indicate that pumpkin powder effectively improves the nutritional and functional quality of the kheer mix while altering its compositional profile.
 
Mineral composition of amaranth kheer mix incorporated with pumpkin powder
 
Mineral analysis of the samples was analysed and depicted in Table 4. The mineral composition of the kheer mix was significantly influenced by the incorporation of pumpkin powder and the treatment differences were statistically significant (p≤0.05) for Ca, P, K, Fe, Mg, Zn, Mn and Cu, while Na and Se showed non-significant variation. The sensory selected treatment, KG₃ containing 15% pumpkin powder, recorded 313.12 mg/100 g calcium and 445.06 mg/100 g phosphorus, both of which were lower than the control. This decline is mainly the result of partial replacement of amaranth flour, which are naturally rich in these minerals, with pumpkin powder having comparatively lower calcium and phosphorus content. Magnesium and zinc also showed a decreasing trend with higher levels of incorporation, which may be attributed to the reduced proportion of amaranth flour in the formulation.


       
A reverse trend was observed for potassium and iron. Potassium increased markedly from 666.04 mg/100 g in the control to 766.08 mg/100 g in KG₃, while iron increased from 9.297 to 11.38 mg/100 g in the same treatment. The rise in these minerals is associated with the inherent mineral composition of pumpkin, which is particularly rich in potassium and contains appreciable amounts of iron. In addition, the use of germinated amaranth flour in the formulation may have contributed to the improved mineral profile. Germination is known to reduce phytic acid through activation of endogenous phytase, thereby releasing bound minerals and enhancing their extractability and bioavailability. This could explain the progressive increase in manganese and copper content with increasing incorporation level. The sensory selected sample (KG₃) thus showed higher values of iron, potassium, copper and manganese, indicating its improved micronutrient density. Sodium and selenium remained almost constant across treatments, suggesting that the added ingredients had minimal influence on these minerals.
       
The observed changes in mineral composition are consistent with earlier reports on pumpkin-fortified dairy products. Shaikh et al., (2015) documented an increase in iron and potassium along with a reduction in calcium in pumpkin-based kheer due to replacement of amaranth flour. Similar observations were made by Shaikh et al., (2017) in reconstituted kheer supplemented with pumpkin pulp. The beneficial effect of germination on mineral availability in amaranth has also been reported, where sprouting improved iron and zinc accessibility as a result of phytate degradation and enzymatic modification of the grain matrix (Suri et al., 2019). The compositional data of pumpkin published by the USDA further support its role as a rich source of potassium and a contributor to iron enrichment in food formulations (USDA, 2019). Therefore, the incorporation of pumpkin powder in combination with germinated amaranth flour resulted in a nutritionally improved kheer mix with enhanced levels of iron and potassium.
 
Bioactive components of amaranth kheer mix incorporated with pumpkin powder
 
The incorporation of pumpkin powder resulted in a significant (p≤0.05) enhancement of all the analysed bioactive components of the kheer mix, as reported in Table 5. Total carotenoid content increased markedly from 6.670 µg/g in the control to 41.77 µg/g in KG₄, while total phenolic content rose from 139.12 to 188.15 mg GAE/100 g and total flavonoid content from 27.52 to 55.21 mg QE/100 g. The optimized treatment, KG₃ containing 15% pumpkin powder, recorded 33.03 µg/g carotenoids, 179.48 mg GAE/100 g phenolics and 49.19 mg QE/100 g flavonoids, indicating a pronounced improvement in antioxidant potential compared to the control. This progressive increase is primarily associated with the inherent richness of pumpkin in carotenoids, particularly β-carotene, along with its substantial polyphenolic and flavonoid fractions (Nawirska-Olszańska  et al., 2011). The higher total solids and lower moisture content of the supplemented mixes might have further contributed to the increased concentration of these phytochemicals on a dry weight basis (Dhiman et al., 2018).


       
The improvement in phenolic and flavonoid content can also be attributed to the inclusion of germinated amaranth flour. Germination activates endogenous enzymes such as amylases, proteases and phytases, which hydrolyse complex storage constituents and reduce antinutritional factors, particularly phytic acid. This enzymatic modification facilitates the release of bound phenolic compounds and enhances their extractability, thereby increasing the measurable antioxidant fraction (Alvarez-Jubete  et al., 2010; Suri et al., 2019). The continuous rise in all bioactive constituents across treatments without any decline indicates that both pumpkin powder and germinated amaranth flour served as stable and concentrated sources of phytochemicals and that the processing conditions employed were not severe enough to cause noticeable thermal degradation.
       
The results agree with earlier studies on pumpkin-based kheer and similar products. Increased carotenoid content after pumpkin addition has been attributed to its rich β-carotene level (Shaikh et al., 2015), while the rise in phenolics and flavonoids is linked to its inherent antioxidant compounds (Nawirska-Olszañska  et al., 2011). The optimized sample showed much higher carotenoids than traditional kheer, indicating that pumpkin powder is effective for provitamin-A fortification and enhancement of antioxidant potential.

The study established that incorporation of pumpkin powder into a germinated amaranth-based kheer mix markedly improved its sensory, nutritional and functional quality. The formulation containing 15% pumpkin powder (KG₃) was the most preferred, with the highest overall acceptability (8.60) and a balanced flavour, colour and texture. Nutritional assessment indicated lower moisture and fat with higher fibre, ash and carbohydrates, suggesting better shelf stability and enhanced dietary value. The optimized product also exhibited higher iron, potassium, manganese and copper contents, while the slight reduction in calcium and phosphorus was due to partial replacement of amaranth flour. A substantial rise in carotenoids, phenolics and flavonoids confirmed the role of pumpkin powder and germinated amaranth in improving antioxidant potential and micronutrient density. The developed kheer mix can serve as a convenient and nutrient-dense traditional dessert with scope for commercial production and dietary diversification.

The authors extend their gratitude to Dr. V.S. Pawar, Research Guide, for continuous guidance and support.
 
Disclaimer
 
The views presented in this manuscript are those of the author, who is solely responsible for its content and accuracy.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.