Effect of maltodextrin as a fat replacer on the quality of non-fat yogurt

studied. Non-fat yoghurt was prepared from reconstitute skimmed milk powder. Maltodextrin was added to reconstitute skimmed milk powder with 14% total solids (w/w) at three levels (0 (control sample), 1, 2, and 3%). The mixtures were inoculated using a DVS yogurt starter culture and the obtained yogurt samples stored at 5ºC. Physicochemical properties of the yogurt samples such as pH, acidity, total solids, syneresis, textural properties, color and microstructure were studied after one day storage. Increasing the amount of maltodextrin did not have any significant effect on pH and titratable acidity of samples, but increased the total solids of samples, in proportion to added maltodextrin. Addition of maltodextrin led to the decrease in susceptibility to syneresis, but yogurt containing 1% maltodextrin had more syneresis than the control. Increasing 2 and 3% of maltodextrin led to more compact and homogeneity microstructure. However, the yogurt containing 1% maltodextrin had less compact than the control and was more porous in scanning electron microscopy. The yogurt containing 3% maltodextrin and control sample had the highest and lowest firmness, respectively. Maltodextrin had no significant effect on adhesiveness and gumminess, but decreased the cohesiveness of yogurt samples. The color parameters (L*, a* and b*) of yogurt samples did not show any significant differences. In view of compact microstructure, low syneresis and high firmness, maltodextrin at 3% level can be used as a suitable fat replacer to develop a formulation of non-fat set type yogurt.