Moringa oleifera seed extracts as promising natural thickening agents for food industry: Study of the thickening action in yogurt production

The demand for healthier and less processed food preservatives, which also accumulate therapeutic properties, has attracted the attention of consumers and industries, tus boosting the search for new technologies. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the thickening action performance of Moringa seed extracts in the elaboration of yoghurt. For this purpose, we evaluated the impact of the addition of different fractions of Moringa seed saline extract obtained via ultrafiltration in yogurt fermented by culture probiotic lactic production. In order to evaluate the influence of Moringa additives in final products, analysis of texture, pH, total protein content, susceptibility to syneresis, besides rheology assays, were performed throughout a four week storage-refrigerated period. Results revealed that yogurts added with Moringa extracts presented lower syneresis values, higher protein contents, higher consistency index values and more cohesive casein net, when compared to the control. This study endorses the potential application of Moringa seed extracts as thickener agents in food systems, which could represent a new option in the market of natural food additives.