Production of barberry juice-milk drink and evaluation of its properties during storage

Whey separation is a common problem in production and storage of acidified milk drinks (AMDs) which is due to the casein instability and sedimentation at low pH (4.6≤). To prevent or reduce protein aggregation, different stabilizers are used. Milk- barberry juice drink can be one of the functional products with high nutritional value. However, owning to low pH in barberry juice, protein sedimenitation is a problem in these products. In this study, pectin, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and the mixture of them (at 50:50 ratio) at concentrations of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 % w/w were used to improve stability of milk-barberry juice drink. In treatments, the parameters of viscosity, sedimentation and whey separation were determined after two-week strorage. The findings showed that pectin 0.2, pectin 0.4% were the most effective stabilizers, respectively. After that, the optimal formulation of milk-barberry juice drink prepared and stored at refrigerated for 42 days and its physicochemical properties were investigated. The results showed that the effect of milk, barberry juice and pectin content were significant (p