Incorporation of omega-3 fatty acid-rich grape seed oil in yoghurt: Response surface optimization of physicochemical, textural, and sensory attributes during refrigerated storage

The demand for consuming low-fat or nonfat dairy products, especially fat-free yoghurt, has increased considerably because of the effects of high-fat diet on human health during the two past decades. Generally, consumers prefer low-fat products to the same high-fat products. For this reason, manufacturers are looking for an ideal source for replacing fat substitute. In this research, the effect of grape seed oil (GSO) as a fat replacement on different quality attributes of the produced set yoghurt was determined. The effect of diverse ratios (3:0, 1.5:1.5, and 0.5:3%) of milk fat and GSO on the change in the quality attributes of the set yoghurt for up to 22 days of refrigeration period (4 +/- 1 degrees C) was investigated. Statistical analysis revealed that increase in GSO concentration leads to a significant increase (p < .05) in viscosity, acidity, and water-holding capacity (WHC), whereas syneresis and pH value decreased during the storage time. Furthermore, increasing the proportion of fat replacement to 3% (w/w) in set yoghurt increased the samples hardness while in case of cohesiveness; negative effect was observed because of the action of fat globules within the protein system. Result of fatty acid analysis revealed that the yoghurt samples containing GSO have higher unsaturated fatty acid content than the control yoghurt sample. In conclusion, the best fat replacement concentration of GSO in producing low-fat yoghurt was found in 1.5%, which also had the highest overall acceptance score between different yoghurt samples containing different levels of GSO.