Development of plant-based functional yoghurt as an alternative to dairy products

Abstract

Health concerns and risks associated with dairy products such as lactose intolerance, milk allergens, and other considerations like veganism have increased the demand for dairy-free alternatives worldwide. Additionally, the healthy active compounds present in plant source ingredients raise consumers’ choices. However, the existing plant-based beverages in the market such as Alpro: coconut, and rice milk not only portray deficient nutritional profiles but are also expensive, making them scanty in limited-resource countries. The main aim of this study was to formulate a convenient plant-based yoghurt (PBY) with a nutritional profile, texture, and flavour comparable to that of cow's milk using plant-based milk from locally available ingredients (coconut, sesame and rice). Objective function (OF), decision variables (DV) and constraints parameters were applied for the optimization of ingredients ratios in the linear programming (LP) model. Fermentation was employed to develop a palatable and functional yoghurt. Laboratory analysis was conducted to validate the nutritional values calculated by LP. Relative differences between the results generated by the LP and the values analyzed in the lab were also calculated. Finally, sensory evaluations were conducted to test consumers acceptability of the PBY. The results showed that LP-optimized PBY can be formulated at a low cost (USD 0.9 per L) which is 60% cheaper than Alpro natural PBY. The formulated PBY were microbiologically stable for 14 days of storage at 4 °C. No significant differences were obtained between the LP and lab results (P ≥ 0.05). The formulation contained essential nutrients and health-benefiting bioactive compounds, enough to meet the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for 2-10-years old. In terms of the overall acceptability, the sensory attributes revealed that PBY was liked very much by consumers. These findings demonstrate that culturally acceptable functional PBY considered as an alternative to dairy products can be formulated using locally available ingredients.