Influence of in-package microwave treatment and geometry on selected characteristics of Paneer

In this paper, the influence of in-package microwave treatment and geometry (cylinder and cube) of paneer on its colour, texture and sensory characteristics was investigated. The freshly prepared paneer was moulded into cylinder and cube shapes with the help of moulds and packed in polypropylene pack. This packed paneer was exposed to different level of microwave power (270, 360 and 450W) for varying time (10, 20 and 30s) and evaluated for colour, texture and sensory attributes of the paneer. It was observed that microwave power and exposure time had significant effect on colour, texture and sensory quality of both cylinder and cube shaped paneer. It was observed that all important quality and properties of paneer viz. whiteness index, hardness, flavour and overall acceptability were higher in cube shaped paneer than that of cylinder shaped paneer. Therefore, it may be recommended that for in-package microwave treatment, a cube shaped paneer may be used over cylindrical shape.