Improving the nutritional profile and functional performance of yogurt

Yogurt is a popular dairy product traditionally made by fermenting liquid milk. Yogurt is considered of high nutritional value with beneficial impact on gut health attributed to the presence of probiotic bacteria. Furthermore, it is produced under mild processing conditions in relatively short time, which makes this product an ideal food matrix for fortification with bioactive ingredients. This is commonly encountered in a range of commercially available yogurt products fortified with fruits. The main objective of this proposed research is to develop a functional yogurt with health-promoting effects on human health. The product will be novel in terms of nutrient composition and functional performance. The reformulated yogurt will contain and effectively deliver functional ingredient(s) from natural, sustainable sources (plants, by-products of food processing etc.). Following product reformulation and development, yogurt will be tested both in vitro and in vivo for beneficial effects on health. This will involve detailed chemical and nutritional characterization of the novel product and bioavailability studies of the functional ingredient(s). Furthermore, reformulation is likely to affect stability, structure and physical properties (i.e. texture, palatability, colour etc.) of the newly-developed yogurt. These properties will be fully investigated to understand how yogurt reformulation may impact acceptance among consumers.