Development of a Functional Probiotic Millet-based Yoghurt from Composite Nutri-cereals: Physicochemical, Functional and Sensory Evaluation

Background: The growing demand for dairy-free and nutritionally enriched fermented foods has encouraged the development of plant-based yoghurt alternatives from nutrient-dense Nutri-cereals. The present study was undertaken to develop a functional probiotic millet-based yoghurt using a composite Nutri-cereal base comprising finger millet, pearl millet, little millet and oats and to evaluate its physicochemical, nutritional, functional and sensory characteristics. Methods: The standardized composite Nutri-Cereal extract was subjected to heat treatment and inoculated with a mixed yoghurt culture comprising Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. The developed yoghurt was evaluated for physicochemical properties, colour characteristics, proximate composition, mineral composition, dietary fibre and sensory acceptability using standard analytical procedures. Result: The developed millet-based yoghurt exhibited 80.50% moisture, 19.50% total solids, pH 4.14, titratable acidity 0.86% lactic acid, total soluble solids 17.60% and viscosity 1325 cP, indicating successful development of a structured fermented yoghurt matrix. The colour analysis showed L*, a*, b*, chroma (C*) and hue angle (h°) values of 66.95±0.31, 8.82±0.13, 27.85±0.28, 29.21±0.27 and 72.43±0.28, respectively. The product contained 4.26% protein, 2.18% fat, 10.72% carbohydrates and 1.34% ash. Calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium were present at 52.34, 91.75, 1.72, 1.15, 124.38 and 44.12 mg/100 g, respectively. The yoghurt contained 5.24±0.14% total dietary fibre and 2.14±0.06% soluble dietary fibre, demonstrating the retention of appreciable fibre from the composite Nutri-Cereal matrix. Sensory evaluation showed high acceptability, with scores above 8.0 for all attributes and an overall acceptability score of 8.25±0.08 on a 9-point hedonic scale.