Effect of Spirulina platensis on probiotic, nutritional, and quality properties of yogurt

The present work was carried out to investigate the changes in the microbiological, physicochemical, textural sensory properties, and antioxidant profile of probiotic yogurt enriched with different concentrations (0, 0.5, 0.75, and 1%) of Spirulina platensis. Results indicated that when the amount of S. platensis was increased, there was a corresponding increase in water retention ability. This could have been attributed to a significant increase in fibre content (p < 0.05). The ratio of the soluble/insoluble dietary fibre of the yogurt samples depended on the concentration of algae. Towards the end of storage, there was a decrease in pH which resulted from the combined effect of the starter culture and probiotics working together. The amounts of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis increased in groups with S. platensis throughout storage, which is essential for a product to possess probiotic properties. In the sensory evaluation, group D which contained 1% (w/v) Spirulina was ranked as the most preferred. Additionally, this group exhibited the highest DPPH activity. The addition of Spirulina to yogurt had a significant impact on its quality characteristics, and exhibited potent prebiotic properties.