Effect of Blending Aerial Yam and Soy Milk on Proximate Composition, Phytochemical and Rheological Properties of Functional Beverage

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• Value addition of aerial yam into functional beverage. • Nutritional complementation of the yam-based diet with soymilk. • Analysis of phytochemical properties and their interaction. • Rheological stabilisation of yam-based beverages with hydrocolloid. Growing health consciousness, an aging population, and the increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases have driven the shift toward functional foods. In this context, aerial yam-soy beverages were developed using aerial yam and soymilk, followed by analysis of their proximate composition, phytochemical properties and rheological behaviour. The proximate composition of the beverage was measured using standard methods while phytochemical properties using colorimetric assay and rheological properties in the samples containing xanthan gum at concentrations of 0.10 %, 0.20 % and 0.30 % was assessed by rotational rheometer. The results revealed that carbohydrate, ash, and crude fibre content significantly decreased ( p < 0.05) as the proportion of aerial yam juice decreased and soymilk increased, while the protein and fat content increased across all beverage samples. On the other hand, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and ascorbic acid levels increased in a range of 26.98 ± 0.08 to 44.18 ± 0.32 mg GAE/L, 5.78 ± 0.07 to 10.96 ± 0.36 mg QE/L and 25.07 ± 0.39 to 71.13 ± 2.38 mg/L with increase in aerial yam, while radical scavenging activity increased from 56.73 ± 0.11 to 72.19 ± 0.32 % with the decrease in aerial yam and increase in soymilk proportion. Xanthan gum addition resulted in Bingham pseudoplastic flow behaviour, which intensified as xanthan gum concentration increased across the S 1 , S 2 , and S 3 samples. These findings provide insight into how the combination of these ingredients and the stabiliser can enhance the functional and health-promoting qualities of aerial yam-soy beverages.