Sensory evaluation of stirred papaya yoghurt during storage Period

Yoghurt is a fermented milk product traditionally obtained by lactic acid fermentation through the action of lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus. The nutritional value of yoghurt is made up of the nutrients of the milk and the nutrient among metabolites produced during the fermentation by lactic acid bacteria. There are many health benefits from yoghurt. Lactic acid aids in calcium absorption and digesting some of the lactose for people with lactose intolerance, Yoghurt also acts as an antibiotic, protects against gastrointestinal upset, decreases risk of cancer, lower blood cholesterol especially low density lipoprotein cholesterol and help the body to assimilate protein, calcium and iron. The organisms in yoghurt also can produce some B vitamins which are needed by the human body. Collectively, these contribute to a high level of nutrition and contribute to the strengthening of the immune system (Salwaet al., 2004).

The present study was conducted to develop stirred yoghurt by incorporating papaya fruit in order to improve the nutritional benefit of yoghurt. Samples were analysed for sensory quality during different storage period of zero, 7^th, 14^th and 21^st day. Four treatments (Control, T1, T2, T3 and T4) were conducted using different inclusion level of papaya fruit each at different levels (0%, 5.0%, 10%, 15% and 20%) respectively. Significantly higher values were observed in sensory evaluation in 10 per cent papaya incorporated yoghurt when compared with the other treatments. From the results of the present study, it can be concluded that yoghurt can be incorporated with 10 per cent papaya fruit to enhance the nutritional quality without altering the sensory quality of yoghurt.