PRODUCTION AND EVALUATION OF YOGURT WITH WATERMELON (CITRULLUS LANATUS) JUICE

Fruity Yogurt was prepared by adding watermelon juice with milk. The physicochemical, organoleptic and microbiological properties were analyzed to assay the quality of the Yogurts. Physicochemical properties of yoghurt samples including moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrate and ash were determined at first days of storage. Acidity, pH, syneresis, water holding capacity (WHC) and sensory quality of Yogurt samples were determined on 14 days of storage. There were significantly differences between Control Yogurt and Fruity Yogurt in the pH, moisture, ash, fat, protein, carbohydrate and Total solid content (p≤ 0.05). Highest values for WHC (56.69±0.02) and lowest values for syneresis (28.78±0.29) were belonged to Yogurt with watermelon juice. The Fruity Yogurt had higher acidity (1.18 ±0.01),viscosity (715±0.42)and lower Penetration Value (440±0.65) than Control Yogurt (CY). The results showed that utilization of watermelon juice affect the Yogurt characteristics, which reached at desirable count of Lactic acid bacteria. Sensory evaluation results showed that there were no significant differences (p≤ 0.05) among the Yogurt samples. The Fruity Yogurt had the highest overall acceptability (8.2± 0.46) scores compared to control Yogurt. The results of current study demonstrated that the addition of fruits to the Yogurt significantly improved the quality of Yogurt.