Physicochemical and sensory attributes of inulin incorporated set yoghurt prepared using cow and buffalo milk

The demand for probiotic food products has increased remarkably over the last few decades. The current study aimed to evaluate the microbiological and physicochemical properties of two set-type yoghurts prepared using cow milk (CMY) and buffalo milk (BMY) with three different levels of inulin additions (1%, 2% and 3% w/v). Two types of starter cultures BB12 (Bifidobacterium bifidum-BB) and YC-X11 (Streptococcus thermophilus-ST, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus subspp. Bulgaricus-LB) were used as probiotic sources. Probiotic viable cell counts, syneresis, total acidity pH, organoleptic properties and viscosity were evaluated during 21 days of storage at 40C. Both inulin incorporated CMY and BMY showed significantly high (p<0.05) ST and LB counts at the end of the enumeration period (~8.0 log CFU/mL) while control samples of each group showed significantly lower (~7.0 log CFU/mL) probiotic counts. 3% CMY and BMY reported the highest probiotic survivability. Significantly (p<0.05) high viscosity was observed in 2% inulin incorporated yoghurts which were highly acceptable and showed better stability during storage. This study concludes that the addition of inulin could improve overall probiotic survivability of tested microorganisms while ensuring consumer acceptance without drastically altering physicochemical properties of yoghurt.