Enhancing the technological, functional and storage quality of plant-based milk with supplementation of turmeric juice

Turmeric juice is loaded with many nutrients and medicinal properties. In this aspect, a study was carried out to improve the quality of soymilk with the incorporation of turmeric juice at different levels (0–30%). The treated soymilk was assessed for organoleptic, physiochemical, bioactive, rheological, particle size, zeta potential, microbial and storage stability characteristics. Turmeric juice substitution in soymilk improved organoleptic, bioactive, rheological and shelf life parameters. The results revealed that with the increasing level of turmeric incorporation the acidity, total solids, viscosity and ash content increased and pH decreased in soymilk. However, Total phenols, flavonoids and antioxidant activity increased from 4.12 to 10.06 mg GAE/100g, 0.374–0.876 Fe²⁺μg-ml⁻¹ and 33.78–37.50 % inhibition, respectively. The frequency sweep and shear experiments showed that the turmeric juice in soymilk modified the rheological parameters of the soymilk. Substitution increased the hydrodynamic particle size (323–1051.6 nm) and decreased the zeta potential values. The sensory analysis indicated that turmeric juice at the level of 15% incorporation in soymilk depicted best sensory acceptability. Storage studies revealed that turmeric substituted milk samples were stable for 20 days under refrigerated conditions with intact overall quality. Thus this study provides valuable vision for the development of turmeric juice enriched plant based beverages with improved technological quality that highlights possible suggestions for its commercialization prospective.