The evaluation of physicochemical, microbial and sensory properties of yogurt enriched with jujube mucilage and quinoa protein isolate

Quinoa protein isolate (QPI) and jujube mucilage (JM) are functional biopolymers whose potential in yogurt remains unexplored. This study investigated their effects on low-fat yogurt quality via the following formulations: S1 (0.6% JM), S2 (0.6% JM + 3% QPI), S3 (3% QPI), and a control during 28 days of storage. JM and JM+QPI improved hardness (45.75±3.18 g) and chewiness (1.76±0.61), with S1 having the highest viscosity (101,740 mPa·s). The sensory evaluation demonstrated that, despite exhibiting an acceptable texture, formulation S2 scored poorly in other sensory attributes. The survival rates of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus were highest in S2 and S3 (8.25 and 8.39 log CFU mL -1 ), respectively. The omega-6/omega-3 ratio was 9.25 in S2 and S3, with S2 exhibiting the highest unsaturated fatty acid content. These findings support the development of functional yogurt using QPI and JM, which can balance favorable fatty acid profiles with good physicochemical properties.