<div style="text-align: justify;">Burfi is one of the most popular milk product of Indian origin, which is conventionally prepared by using sugar as sweetening agent with Khoa as base. In present study, khoa burfi was prepared using honey as sweetening agent in three different levels @ 10, 15 and 20% on the basis of khoa. The sensory evaluation of freshly prepared khoa burfi &nbsp;using honey as sweetening agent was carried out by the panel of 7 judges. Samples were evaluated for flavour (10), body and texture (10) and colour and appearance (5) using 25 point score. The panel was also asked to judge the overall acceptability of the product by sum of all the scores (25). The highest sensory score was obtained for control khoa burfi prepared from sugar as sweetening agent followed by khoa burfi using honey as sweetening agent @ 15%.&nbsp;</div>

Preparation of khoa burfi using honey as a sweetening agent

<div style="text-align: justify;">Burfi was manufactured in three-stage scraped surface heat exchanger by adding sugar directly into preheated milk by varying scraper speed in all three stages with different steam pressure in all three stages. The performance evaluation of the machine was evaluated during continuous mechanized manufacturing of Burfi. The average overall heat transfer coefficient were 1600, 950, and 410 W/m2 K for first, the second and third stage of TFSSHE, respectively. The specific steam consumption was found out to be 1.12 to 0.93 kg steam per kg of milk processed with mean value of 1 kg steam per kg of milk processed. The electricity consumption was found out to be 6.0 to 8.34 kWh per 1000 kg of milk processed with a mean value of 6.83 kWh per 1000 kg of milk processed. The sensory evaluation score of the burfi manufactured in the SSHE was obtained 20.6 out of a total of 25.&nbsp;</div>

Performance Evaluation of Three-Stage SSHE for Continuous Manufacturing of Burfi

Background: Despite the widespread consumption and economic significance of Greek yogurt, there are no universally recognized standards. This has resulted in variations in its nutritional composition, production methods, and labeling practices, leading to inconsistencies in quality across brands and markets. This study investigates the physicochemical, microbial, and sensory properties of plain and flavored Greek yogurts produced in Oman to address consumer preferences and establish quality benchmarks. 
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Methods: Physicochemical analyses were conducted to measure density, moisture, fat, protein, Ash, pH, acidity, total solids, non-fat solids, color and viscosity of plain and flavored Greek yogurts. Microbial assessments were performed to determine total viable counts, yeast and mold, E. coli&nbsp;and S. aureus. While sensory evaluations were carried out to assess aroma, color, texture, flavor, acidity, sweetness, and overall acceptability. 
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Result: Flavored yogurts exhibited lower moisture content (71.69-72.32%) compared to plain yogurt (77.87%), contributing to a creamier texture. Fat content varied by flavor, with peach and apricot yogurt containing the highest level (5.475%), while plain yogurt had the highest protein content (2.35%). Flavored variants showed increased acidity (1.037-1.110%) and higher viscosity (32,965-34,400 cP), enhancing their sensory appeal. Microbial analyses confirmed the safety of all samples, with lower total viable counts in flavored yogurts attributed to the antimicrobial properties of fruit acids. Sensory evaluations revealed that strawberry yogurt was the most preferred, scoring highest in flavor, sweetness, and overall acceptability (93.3% acceptability index). These findings underscore the importance of optimizing sensory attributes and product formulations to improve consumer satisfaction in the dairy industry.

The Quality of Plain and Flavored Greek Yogurt

<div>Background: During present investigation burfi was prepared from different combinations of cow milk khoa and pumpkin pulp [viz., 100:00 (T1), 75:25 (T2), 70:30 (T3), 65:35 (T4) and 60:40 (T5)] and the samples were subjected to sensory evaluation, chemical analysis and cost was computed considering the ingredients and processing costs. The pumpkin pulp (as per treatments) and sugar (30% by weight of khoa) were mixed with khoa at different stage of khoa preparation. Then, the mixture was heated till burfi was obtained. 
 
Methods: For preparation of burfi fresh cow milk was obtained from Livestock Instructional Farm, Akola. The milk was standardized to 4.0 per cent fat and 9.0 per cent SNF for the preparation of burfi. The khoa blended with pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) pulp at different ratios, the product without using pumpkin pulp served as control. The burfi was analyzed for chemical composition (viz., fat protein, total sugars, ash and total solids). The organoleptic attributes of burfi were analyzed in terms of its flavor, body and texture and color and appearance, wherein the total score was out of 100; the judging panel comprised on 5 members. 
 
Result: The total sensory scores of burfi obtained were 87.81, 90.46, 95.46, 92.99 and 84.30 for the treatment T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. The burfi prepared from various combinations involving use of up to 70 per cent cow milk khoa in blend with pumpkin pulp was found acceptable. The fat content of burfi&rsquo;s was 19.61, 15.40, 14.38, 13.40 and 12.37 per cent, protein content was 14.89, 12.64, 12.11, 11.61 and 11.04 per cent, total sugar content was 32.78, 36.73, 37.59, 38.45 and 39.31 per cent, ash content was 2.69, 2.55, 2.53, 2.49 and 2.45 per cent, total solids content was 69.94, 67.30, 66.60, 65.94 and 65.17 per cent for the treatment T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. The fat, protein, ash and total solids of burfi tended to decrease while total sugar and moisture content tended to increase with an increase in the level of pumpkin pulp used as additive. The per kg cost of production of pumpkin based burfi decreased with increasing level of incorporation of pumpkin pulp in burfi formulation i.e. ₹ 240 (100:00 khoa), ₹ 204.51 (75:25, khoa: pulp), ₹ 199.11 (70:30 khoa: pulp), ₹ 194.33 (65:35 khoa: pulp), ₹ 189.25 (60:40, khoa : pulp) for the treatment T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. The most acceptable burfi i.e. T3 was computed to be priced at ₹ 199.11 per kg.</div>

​Effects of Addition of Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) Pulp on the Physico-chemical and Sensory Properties of Burfi and its Cost Structure

<div>Background: Among the traditional dairy products, burfi is the most popular khoa based confection in Indian subcontinent. Burfi has special importance in different functions like birthday, anniversary, wedding, etc. Consumers in India are becoming more health conscious and demand for healthier food because of rise in disposable income, educational level and awareness of nutrition. In wedding ceremony, now a days, besan burfi is famous instead of laddoos because of nutrition in pulses. Therefore, black gram can be also used in burfi due to it is rich in protein and having best results against many diseases in humans. 
 
Methods: Burfi was prepared from milk with constant level of sugar (30 per cent by weight of khoa) and different levels of black gram flour (2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 per cent by weight of khoa). Properly blending khoa and sugar with black gram flour on low flame and then cut into pieces after setting. 
 
Result: The overall acceptability score for treatment T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 were 8.27, 8.38, 8.51, 8.03 and 7.64 respectively. Burfi sample was evaluated for storage study conducted at room (30&plusmn;2oC) temperature and refrigerated (7&plusmn;2oC) temperature conditions.&nbsp;The cost of production of burfi with black gram powder was Rs. 255.38, Rs. 252.45, Rs. 249.62, Rs. 246.90 and Rs. 244.28 per kg for treatment T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively.</div>

Effect of Sensory Properties, Shelf Life and Cost of Production on Black Gram (Vigna mungo) Flour Burfi

Background: Thikpurli burfi is a heat-desiccated dairy product originating from Thikpurli village, widely recognized across the Kolhapur district in Maharashtra since the 20th&nbsp;century. Keeping the view to generating preliminary data for optimization of standardized method for its production, this study aims to evaluate the different stages involved in the preparation of burfi. 
 
Methods: To gain insights into its manufacturing methods and marketing strategies, surveys were conducted among 20 burfi producers through personal visits, utilizing a structured interview schedule and an approved questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using statistical tools.&nbsp; 
 
Result: Thikpurli burfi production operates as a small-scale industry, exhibiting notable variations in processing techniques and ingredient usage, including sugar, flavoring agents and milk. Local producers have developed their unique method, which involves adding sugar during the boiling stage. Furthermore, approximately 200 ml of milk is removed from the karahi before sugar is added and later reintroduced before the burfi is setting in the karahi. This burfi is particularly renowned for its distinctive caramelized flavor, appealing physical attributes and characteristic body and texture, contributing to its widespread popularity in the region.

Operational Procedures for the Preparation of Traditional Sweet Thikpurli Burfi in Kolhapur District of Maharashtra, India

Bottle gourd burfi was prepared with different proportions of bottle gourd shreds (BGS) to khoa, 10% (T1), 20% (T2), 50% (T3), 100% (T4) and 200% (T5). Sugar (@ 30% on mixture basis) and khoa (150 g) were kept constant in all the experiments. It was observed that on increasing the proportion of BGS sensory scores for color and sweetness increased, whereas scores for flavor, texture and overall acceptability decreased. Maximum scores were fetched by treatment T4 in terms of flavor (8.42), texture (8.21) and overall acceptability (8.33), and by treatment T5 in terms of color and appearance (8.10) and sweetness (8.33). Treatment T1 got lowest sensory scores for all parameters. Proximate analysis indicated that on increasing the proportion of BGS; fat, protein, titratable acidity and ash contents showed a decreasing trend. However moisture content of the product increased, treatment T5 showed maximum moisture content (30.74%). 
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Studies on preparation of composite dairy food-bottle gourd burfi

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: The Silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), is a pest of global significance causing huge economic loss to a wide range of agricultural crops. The pest is regarded as a cryptic species complex which differs in its adaptability to host, fecundity and resistance to insecticides. The expected outcome of the investigation is updated information on prevalence of cryptic species of B. tabaci in the major soybean growing areas in the region.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: A roving survey was carried out to assess the occurrence of B. tabaci in the major soybean growing areas of Northern Hills and North Western Plain zones during three consecutive crop seasons from 2018 to 2020. The survey locations were divided in to two broad groups viz., Hills and Plains (Tarai region) and a total of 76 villages were visited during the survey. Cryptic species composition was analyzed using the mtCOI sequence through PCR amplification. 
 
Result: The mean whitefly population per plant for the three years in hills and plains were 0.53 and 3.55, respectively. The highest whitefly population was observed in 2019 (1.79 per plant) followed by 2018 (1.50 per plant) and 2020 (1.11 per plant). There was significant (p&lt;0.0001) negative correlation (r= -0.749) with altitude. Phylogenetic relationships indicated the existence of two cryptic species Asia-1 and Asia-II-1. Of these, Asia-II-1 was found to be prominent especially in the North Western Plain Zone. In the Northern Hill Zone both Asia 1 and Asia-II-1 were detected.</div>

Genetic Diversity and Geographic Distribution of Bemisia tabaci Species Complex Infecting Soybean in Northern Hills and North Western Plains of India

<div>Background: The pathogens associated with diarrhoea in small ruminants include Escherichia coli, Rotavirus, PPR virus and Salmonella spp. either singly or in combination. Many researchers have worked on E. coli strains of goats almost in all agro-climatic zones of India but most of the studies were limited to only small study areas and no study has been conducted on E. coli prevalence in goats in Eastern Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;</div>

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<div>Methods: The study was conducted in eight district of Eastern Plain zone of Uttar Pradesh including goat farm of ANDUAT, Kumarganj, Ayodhya which comes under Agro-climatic zone IV (Middle Gangetic Plain region). Faecal samples were collected for one year (September, 2021 to August, 2022) from dead goats having history of diarrhoea.</div>

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<div>Result: The overall prevalence of E. coli isolates on PCR analysis was 52.27%. The prevalence was highest in Varanasi district as 63.63% (7/11) while lowest was reported in Ghazipur district as 36.36% (4/11). The occurrence of E. coli isolates was higher in Age Group I (79.31%) followed by Age Group II (41.17%) and Age Group III (36.00%). The E. coli isolates revealed higher positivity in female (57.69%) than male (44.44%). The occurrence of E. coli isolates was highest in summer (75.86%) followed by rainy (42.42%) and lowest in winter (38.46%) season. The obtained PCR amplicons on sequencing was identified as Escherichia coli strain U 5/41 16S ribosomal RNA as it showed highest similarity of 98.96 % with accession no. NR_024570.1</div>

Prevalence and Phylogenetic Analysis of E. coli in Diarrhoeic Goats in Eastern Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh

Background: Yellow mosaic disease (YMD) is one of the most severe and widespread constraint for the cultivation of soybean. Given that no comprehensive data on the status of soybean yellow mosaic disease in Northern Hills and North Western Plains of India is present, a detailed investigation was undertaken for three years to study the prevalence of the disease in the region and to characterize the pathogen. 
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Methods: Towards Kharif end, a three year (2018-2020) farmer field survey (76 villages) was carried out to assess the YMD distribution in the major soybean growing areas Northern Hills and North Western Plains of India. The variability of yellow mosaic virus associated with YMD of soybean was studied based on molecular characterization of partial DNA-A coat protein gene and DNA-B movement protein with subsequent nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic tree construction. 
 
Result: The results revealed that YMD is prevalent in the plains, whereas the disease was undetectable in the Hills. In the plains, the mean disease incidence ranged from 25.40% in 2019 to 16.78% in 2020. Moreover, disease incidence (r = -0.748) had negative and significant (p&lt;0.0001) correlation with altitude. The phylogenetic studies revealed that the virus inciting the yellow mosaic in soybean in Tarai region had closest relationship with Mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV). It shared more than 96 per cent sequence identity with other MYMIV isolates reported earlier within the country and abroad and hence, was designated as an isolate of MYMIV.

Geographical Distribution and Molecular Characterization of Begomovirus Infecting Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in Northern Hills and North Western Plains of India