THE INFLUENCE OF HAWTHORN (CRATAEGUS SPP.) COMPOSITE ON THE FUNCTIONALITY AND QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF STIRRED YOGURT.

Background. The aim of the study was to determine changes in the physicochemical and rheological properties, antioxidant activity and sensory attributes of stirred yogurts containing hawthorn composite (HC). Materials and methods. In this study, the peel and pulp of hawthorn were used to obtain a composite which was incorporated into stirred yogurts in different concentrations (0.0 to 0.5% w/w) coded as Y0, Y0.1, Y0.3 and Y0.5. Acidification kinetics during yogurt production were evaluated, as well as sensory attributes at day 5 of storage, antioxidant capacity, physicochemical and rheological properties at days 1 and 21. Results. Addition of 0.5% HC decreased the fermentation time from 8 (Y0) to 5.80 h (Y0.5). The incorporation of HC generated higher protein, ash, and fiber concentrations in the yogurts. The syneresis of the yogurts with added HC decreased by 18.0% compared to Y0. The flow behavior of the yogurts was described by the Ellis model (R2 = 0.99), where η0 and λ exhibited higher values as the HC concentration increased. The highest percentage of inhibition was 53 ±1.50 % (Y0.5), and the lowest was 39.57 ±0.62 % (Y0), maintaining antioxidant activity at the end of storage. Yogurts Y0.1 and Y0.3 obtained an overall acceptability of 3.92 ±0.79 and 4.12 ±0.72 on a 5-point scale. Conclusion. These results suggest that hawthorn composite (HC) can serve as a functional ingredient in fermented dairy products such as stirred yogurt. The addition of HC reduced total fermentation time and improved the yogurt's physicochemical, antioxidant and sensory properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]