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Advancements in the food industry and the growing consumer awareness of healthy and nutritive foods have led to an increased demand for functional foods. This study aims to enhance the properties and nutritional value of free fat Yogurt by fortifying it with moringa aqueous extract and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) probiotic strains. This study assessed the viability and bioactivity of four probiotic strains in yogurt fortified with moringa aqueous extract. All strains exhibited improved growth in the presence of moringa extract in a concentration-dependent manner. Lactobacillus rhamnosus (Lr-32) showed the highest growth rate, followed by Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp-115). Lactobacillus acidophilus (La-14) and Lactobacillus casei (Lc-11) had comparable growth profiles. Calculating Δ Log CFU g-1 revealed noticeable differences between samples with moringa extract and controls. Moringa enhanced probiotic viability, aligning with previous research attributing this to polyphenolic components in moringa. The yogurt's physio-chemical properties, including pH, titratable acidity, total solids, and moisture content, were investigated during 15 days of storage at 5 °C. pH gradually decreased during storage with moringa extract-treated samples. Titratable acidity and total solids increased slightly during storage, with the highest levels in moringa-treated samples. Sensory evaluation results were positive, moringa extract did not negatively impact colour, appearance, flavour, or texture. This suggests the potential for moringa extract as a valuable addition to low fat yogurt products without compromising sensory quality.
Elkazaz et al. (Fri,) studied this question.