Comprehensive Evaluations of Physicochemical Characteristics and Sensory Acceptance of Selected Fruits, Almond and Dark Chocolate Incorporated Yogurt

The research aimed to formulate a yogurt mix by combining with natural flavored selected fruits (papaya, apple, banana and mango), almond and dark chocolate for enriched nutritional value and taste. For quality assessment of the yogurt mixture, physicochemical, phytochemical, nutritional and sensory properties were considered. The experimental data of yogurt mix were fitted to 14 models where plain yogurt was used as a control and concomitant 10% and 20% yogurt supplements were considered with the mentioned ingredients. The comparative results of all the formulations revealed notable enrichment in yogurt samples compared to the control. Moreover, a significant reduction in lipid content and pH of the enriched yogurts were observed. In contrast, the fortified yogurt exhibited higher carbohydrate, protein, phenolic and flavonoid contents than the control. Furthermore, the Ash content of all yogurt formulations excluding the yogurt-banana mix was found to be lower than the control and total soluble solids (TSS) were observed to be increased ranging from 10.81 to 15.30g per 100g of fortified yogurt. Nevertheless, the yogurt fusions conclude that almond-yogurt (AlY20) and mixed-fruits yogurt (MxY20) are the best suitable mix in terms of their acceptability, phytochemical and physicochemical composition.