03/07/2026-05/07/2026

Development of Ready-to-Drink Ragi Ambil Premix Powder

Discussion and Objective :-

A discussion was held with Mr. Arun Dixit regarding the development of an improved Ragi Ambil premix. During the discussion, a client, Shamika Sunthankar, shared an important market observation. She explained that the Ragi Ambil premix powders currently available in the market require mixing with milk or buttermilk, followed by boiling before consumption. This preparation process is time-consuming and less convenient for consumers.

Based on this feedback, the objective of the study was to develop a Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Ragi Ambil Premix Powder that could be reconstituted easily with water, providing a convenient and nutritious beverage with minimal preparation.

Experimental Procedure :-

A total of 200 g of ragi grains was selected as the raw material. The grains were soaked in water for 6 hours, during which the weight increased from 200 g to 320 g, indicating adequate water absorption.

The soaked grains were ground with a small quantity of water to obtain a fine slurry. The slurry was then heated to 50°C and maintained at this temperature for 15 minutes. This mild heat treatment helped in partial cooking while preserving the desirable characteristics required for fermentation.

The cooked slurry was allowed to ferment for 12 hours under controlled conditions to promote natural lactic acid fermentation. After fermentation, the titratable acidity of the slurry was determined to be 0.04%.

The fermented slurry was spread uniformly on stainless-steel plates and dried in a hot air oven at 55°C for 4 hours. After drying, the material formed thin dry sheets (leather). These dried sheets were ground into a fine powder to obtain the final Ragi Ambil premix.

The acidity of the dried powder was analyzed and found to be 0.29%. From the initial 200 g of raw ragi, a final yield of 154 g of Ready-to-Drink Ragi Ambil Premix Powder was obtained. The powder was finally packed in airtight pouches or containers to maintain product quality and extend shelf life.

Observations :-

  • Initial ragi weight: 200 g
  • Weight after soaking (6 h): 320 g
  • Fermentation time: 12 h
  • Acidity of fermented slurry: 0.04%
  • Drying conditions: 55°C for 4 h
  • Acidity of dried powder: 0.29%
  • Final powder yield: 154 g

Conclusion :-

The developed Ready-to-Drink Ragi Ambil Premix Powder demonstrated successful processing through soaking, grinding, mild heat treatment, fermentation, drying, and milling. The process produced a stable powder with a final yield of 154 g from 200 g of raw ragi. The increase in acidity after drying reflects concentration of the fermented solids due to moisture removal. Packaging the product in airtight containers is expected to preserve its quality and make it suitable as a convenient, ready-to-drink traditional fermented beverage premix.

The efficiency of that fermented beverage premix is the input 200 gm to i get 154 gm of Ragi ambil premix powder

08/07/2026-12/07/2026

TRIAL 2

The process started with 200 g of cleaned ragi grains. The grains were soaked in water for 6 hours, during which the grain weight increased from 200 g to 332 g because of water absorption.

The soaked grains were then ground into a fine slurry by adding approximately 360 g of water. The total weight of the slurry obtained after grinding was 684 g.

The slurry was heated to50°C and maintained at this temperature for 15 minutes. After this heat treatment, the slurry weight decreased to 656 g, indicating a 28 g reduction due to evaporation during heating.

The heated slurry was then fermented for12 hours under ambient room temperature conditions. After fermentation, the titratable acidity of the slurry was measured as 0.10%, with the exact acidity depending on the room temperature during fermentation.

A small quantity of the fermented slurry was removed for acidity analysis. Consequently, the remaining slurry weighed 604 g.

The fermented slurry was spread uniformly on stainless-steel plates and dried in a hot air oven at 55°C for 4 hours. Drying converted the fermented slurry into thin dried leather sheets.

The dried leather was ground into a fine powder to produce the final Ready-to-Drink Ragi Ambil Premix Powder. The acidity of the dried powder was determined to be ……..

Finally, the powder was packed in airtight pouches or containers to protect it from moisture and maintain its quality during storage

Conclusion :-

The developed Ready-to-Drink Ragi Ambil Premix Powder was successfully prepared using soaking, grinding, mild heat treatment, natural fermentation, drying, and milling. Starting with200 g of raw ragi, the process produced154 g of finished premix powder. The fermentation step produced an acidity of 0.10%, while the final dried powder showed an acidity of………….. due to concentration of solids after moisture removal. The finished product was packed in airtight packaging to preserve its quality and improve shelf life, making it a convenient traditional fermented beverage premix for consumers.