Polyherbal-Enriched Functional Foods for Type 2 Diabetes: Development, Sensory Characterization, and Optimization of Incorporation Levels

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) requires sustainable dietary strategies that are both functionally relevant and sensorially acceptable. This study developed two traditional food products—Foxtail Millet Kheer and bottle gourd raita—fortified with a standardised polyherbal blend of cinnamon, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, jamun seeds, and dried ginger. Three graded incorporation levels and an unfortified control were prepared for each product and evaluated by a semi-trained sensory panel using a nine-point hedonic scale. Differences among formulations were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis test. In Foxtail Millet Kheer, increasing incorporation significantly affected colour, appearance, aroma, texture, taste, and overall acceptability. The 1.71% formulation (A1) showed the most favourable sensory profile among fortified samples, with overall acceptability of 8.20 ± 0.79 compared with 8.70 ± 0.67 for the control. In bottle gourd raita, appearance, aroma, taste, and overall acceptability differed significantly among formulations, whereas colour and texture were not significantly affected. The 1.61% formulation (A1) achieved overall acceptability of 8.60 ± 0.52 compared with 8.75 ± 0.35 for the control. Across both food matrices, lower incorporation levels remained closest to the controls, while higher levels produced progressively greater sensory differentiation without eliminating overall acceptability. These findings identify matrix-specific, sensory-optimised incorporation levels for subsequent investigation of the developed polyherbal functional foods.