Development and Quality Assessment of Plant based Probiotic Shrikhand as a Dairy Alternative

Background: The growing demand for plant-based functional foods due to lactose intolerance, health consciousness and ethical concerns is accelerating the development of dairy-free fermented foods. This study aimed to develop probiotic vegan shrikhand using soy milk, coconut milk, pulp and jaggery as a nutritional replacement for regular milk shrikhand. Soy milk and coconut milk were used for their nutritional and functional properties, while mango and papaya pulps improved taste, color and overall acceptability. Methods: Probiotic vegan shrikhand was prepared by mixing coconut milk with different proportions of soy milk (40%, 30%, 20%, 10%), jaggery and pulp. The formulation were named T1, T2, T3 and T4. The milk preparation was pasteurized, inoculated with probiotic cultures (Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus) and incubated to form curds. The resulting curd was strained to prepare chakka, followed by addition of jaggery and pulp to produce probiotic vegan shrikhand. Sensory evaluation, viscosity measurements, color measurements and texture profile analysis were performed to determine the quality of the products. Result: Among all formulations, the T3 sample had the highest overall acceptability score (8.25) compared to the control sample (7.25), indicating better consumer preference. Probiotic vegan shrikand also showed slightly higher viscosity (234±1.63 cP) than the control (230±1.12 cP). Color analysis revealed increased redness and yellow color due to pulp and jaggery incorporation. Texture profile analysis showed that the optimized probiotic vegan shrikhand had improved hardness, cohesion and elasticity. This study concludes that probiotic vegan shrikhand prepared from soy milk, coconut milk and fruit pulp acts as a nutritious, functional and delicious dairy-free dessert with enhanced sensory and textural properties.