Functional Enhancement of Probiotic Low Fat Yogurt Using Chia Seed Gel Powder

The study evaluated the effect of incorporating chia seed gel powder (CSGP) into probiotic low fat yogurt (PLFY) as a natural, clean label stabilizer to improve texture, physicochemical quality, antioxidant activity, and prebiotic function during 21 days of refrigerated storage. Six yogurt formulations were prepared containing 0 % to 2.5 % CSGP, and increasing levels of CSGP significantly enhanced total solids, protein content, viscosity, hardness, and water holding capacity while reducing whey syneresis compared with the control. Antioxidant activity increased with higher CSGP concentrations, with the highest level showing the greatest DPPH radical scavenging effect. Importantly, CSGP also promoted higher probiotic viability, suggesting a potential prebiotic effect within the yogurt matrix. Sensory evaluation showed that although higher CSGP slightly darkened color, overall body, texture, flavor, and total sensory scores improved, with the 2.5 % CSGP sample achieving the highest acceptability. The results demonstrate that chia seed gel powder acts as an effective multifunctional clean label ingredient that enhances textural and functional properties, supports probiotic survival, and increases antioxidant capacity in probiotic low fat yogurt.

Source : https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/14/1/145