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Spiced yoghurt improves health in various ways such as ability to improve metabolism and burn extra calories. Consumption of full fat yoghurt has declined due to the awareness of the probable harmful effects of fat on consumers' health, thus dietary habits of consumers have changed and market interest has also tended to change in favour of low or non-fat yoghurt. This study was aimed at highlighting the physico-chemical, microbiological analysis and nutritional importance of spiced yoghurts. Standard methods were used for the production of plain and spice -treated yoghurts and the spices used were turmeric, Aframomum danielli and clove (1% w/v), respectively. All the yoghurt samples were stored at 4[degrees]C.Control sample (plain yoghurt) had no spice. Physicochemical profile, proximate composition and microbiological analysis were determined for all the yoghurt samples. The glycemic load of each sample was calculated by multiplying the glycemic indices (GIs) of non-fat yoghurt (International Glycemic Index Table) by the available carbohydrate and dividing the product by 100. While the carbohydrate content of plain yoghurt was 24.15 [+ or -] 0.69%, turmeric and Aframomum danielli- spiced yoghurts had 14.75 [+ or -] 0.69% and 14.37 [+ or -] 1.29%, respectively. The fat contents of plain, turmeric, Aframomum danielli and clove spiced - yoghurts were 0.10[+ or -]0.05%, 0.03[+ or -]0.01%, 0.20[+ or -]0.13% and 0.25[+ or -]0.63%, respectively. The spiced yoghurts had decreased pH and increased titratable acidity values during the storage period. Total bacterial counts of turmeric (1.4 x [10.sup.4] cfu/ml), Aframomum danielli (1.0 x [10.sup.4] cfu/ml) and clove (1.6 x [10.sup.4] cfu/ml) spiced yoghurts decreased when compared to plain yoghurt with 2.4 x [10.sup.4] cfu/ml. Some fungi were detected in spiced yoghurts toward the end of storage period. The results of GIs obtained were found to be under low glycemic load. Glycemic load of plain yoghurt (7.86[+ or -] 0.24) was significantly (P [less than or equal to] 0.05) higher than those of clove (4.56 [+ or -] 0.45) and Aframomum danielli (4.64 [+ or -]0.43) spiced yoghurts, respectively. In conclusion, spiced yoghurt is a nutritionally beneficial product which is considered to be safe. The findings of the present work can be useful from the standpoint of health of yoghurt consumers.Key words: Spice, yoghurt, glycemic load, quality evaluation, Aframomum danielli, turmeric, clove, INTRODUCTIONFermented dairy products are products that can be produced via fermentation of lactose by microorganisms especially by lactic acid bacteria. Fermented dairy products in question are usually produced by using [...]

The resistance of Bifidobacterium longum, Bi.lactis and vitamin C to the process of manufacturing acerola ice cream is evaluated, and the stability of probiotic cultures during storage and the sensorial acceptance of probiotic products are evaluated as compared to a product elaborated with the traditional starter culture of yoghurt. The fermented acerola ice cream is found to be a suitable food for the delivery of vitamin C and Bifidobacterium strains with excellent viability and acceptable sensory characteristics.

The addition of lactic acid culture and food preservatives such as potassium sorbate and sodium acetate to refrigerated catfish fillet negatively regulates the activity of gram negative bacteria. These compounds enhance the microbiological quality and shelf-life of refrigerated food. The antibacterial effects of lactic acid bacteria is independent of pH values.

The introduction of sodium lactate, sodium acetate and potassium sorbate to refrigerated turkey bologna lowers the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, which causes diseases such as listerial meningitis and listeriosis. These three compounds are surface-inoculated in turkey bologna, subsequent to vacuum packaging, refrigeration and processing.

A comparative study at various food additives that extend shelf-life of citrus juice suggests that L-ascorbic acid is ideal for such usage. Despite its high preservative effectiveness, sodium metabisulphite may cause enzyme inactivation and is not useful. The reduction of oxygen availability in juices with L-ascorbic acid will reduce degradation.

The two alternative forced choice procedure leads to diacetyl detection at 0.2 ppm levels. The diacetyl addition affects consumer acceptance of cottage cheese, with aroma and flavor acceptance being maximal for 1.0 ppm. Frequent and infrequent consumers exhibit identical acceptance level for diacetyl-added cottage cheese.

A combined food additive salt solution and low-energy pulsed electrical signals may provide an effective alternate method for reducing Salmonella typhimurium adhering to chicken carcasses during processing. The S. typhimurium populations are reduced by 90% and more, consequent to treatment in 1% NaCl, Na2CO3 or trisodium phosphate solutions for 10 minutes duration. Combined electric and chemical treatments produce greater reduction in bacterial populations than individual conditions used in isolation.