Effect of Using Date Powder on Physicochemical, Textural and Sensory Properties of Low-Fat Set-Type Yoghurt

In this research, regarding to nutritional properties of date powder and ability of its fiber on improvement of physicochemical and texture properties of food products, the effect of addition of date powder on quality characteristics of low-fat set-type yoghurt during 22 days of storage was incestigated. For this purpose, five yoghurt samples were manufactured from full-fat milk (3% of fat) and with addition of date powder in four different amounts of 1, 2, 3 and 4 % (w/v) to low-fat milk (1.5% of fat).Yoghurt samples were then stored in a refrigerator (4±1°C) for 22 days and their physicochemical, texture and sensory properties were evaluated during storage. The results showed that addition of date powder caused to significant decrease in pH, synersis, springiness, adhesiveness, appearance and color and odor and flavor and significant increase in acidity, water holding capacity, viscosity, hardness, cohesiveness and consistency of low-fat set-type yoghurt samples (p<0.05). In terms of sensory properties, the yogurt containing 1% (w/v) of date powder received the highest acceptability compared with other samples. In conclusion, using 1% (w/v) of date powder had the best result in manufacturing of low-fat set-type yoghurt in terms of physicochemical, texture and sensory properties.