Quality and Sensory Properties of Reduced Fat Yoghurt Made with Addition of <i>β</i>-Glucans

Abstract

β -Glucans, isolated from Pleurotus citrinopileatus mushroom, were used in the manufacture of yoghurt from reduced fat cow milk with added proteins. β -Glucans were added to the milk in the form of a paste containing 1.21% (on a dry weight basis) of β -glucans, such that the final concentrations in the yoghurt were 0.3%, 0.4% and 0.5%. Control yoghurt was also manufactured from the same milk without the addition of β -glucans. The resultant yoghurts were examined for their physicochemical and microbial characteristics, gel formation and sensory properties and compared to the control at 1, 7, 14 and 21 days of storage. Results showed that the microbial population, pH, titratable acidity, ash and syneresis were not affected by the addition of different levels of glucans. The lowest fat, total solids and protein contents were recorded in the yoghurt containing 0.5% glucan. The yoghurt containing 0.3% β -glucan had the same viscosity as the control and the yoghurt containing 0.5% β -glucan had the lowest viscosity. Yoghurt with β -glucans received slightly higher scores for flavour, appearance and texture than the control. It was concluded that the incorporation of 0.3% or 0.4% β -glucans isolated from edible mushrooms, into the yoghurt does not affect the final product, which is similar or sensorially even better than the control.