Rheological Characteristics and Microstructure of Milk Yogurt as Influenced by Quinoa Flour Addition

The effect of quinoa flour addition on the physicochemical and rheological properties and microstructure of the yogurt were studied. The quinoa flour addition determined an increase of milk acidity with a reduction of the pH value leading to milk gelation. Rheological studies showed that all yogurt samples have a shear thinning behavior, described by the power‐law model. Up to 1% quinoa flour addition flow behavior index decreased, while the consistency coefficient and apparent viscosity increased significantly. The epifluorescence light microscopy images of yogurt samples showed that the gel network presented the same stability with lower resistance to syneresis at a high level of quinoa flour addition. Practical Applications The best results in terms of whey separation, yogurt microstructure and rheological properties suggest that a 0.6% quinoa flour dose may be successfully used in the development of new yogurt products improving, thus, their technological and nutritional quality.