Quality attributes of a heart healthy yogurt

The objective was to study the effect of heart healthy nutrients on the physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of yogurt. Thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), folic acid (vitamin B9), manganese and magnesium were added during mix preparation at 0%, 30%, 60% and 90% of their respective recommended dietary allowance (RDA). Fiber (Ceolus Fiber DF-17) was added at a constant rate of 176 g/7.570 kg yogurt mix in all the treatments. Total solids in the control were kept constant with non-fat dry milk. Incorporation of the heart healthy nutrients at the 30%, 60% and 90% RDA significantly decreased syneresis, pH, L*, a* values but significantly increased b* value. Product viscosity was significantly increased by the incorporation of the nutrients at 60% of their respective RDA's. The incorporation of the above heart healthy vitamins and minerals at any of the studied rates in yogurts did not significantly affect flavor, appearance, body and texture and microbial counts of the product. Although there were subtle yet significant changes in instrumental color and viscosity these slight changes could not be detected by sensory evaluation. Yogurts can successfully be manufactured with the above heart healthy nutrients.