Development of green tea infused chocolate yoghurt and evaluation of its nutritive value and storage stability

Abstract

The yoghurt industry is presently booming with the introduction of new tart flavors in the row while green tea is emerging as a proven health-beneficial drink in the market. An amalgamation of the two brings in a healthy, tasty and filling platter in today’s food souk. Besides, addition of a hint of chocolate will help to enrich the flavor of the product by masking the bitterness of green tea. A blend of all these will surely be satisfying both the nutrition and taste quotient, as desired by today’s health-conscious and indulgence-seeking consumers in the growing markets. With this view, green tea infused chocolate flavored yoghurt was developed from double toned milk with infusion of green tea and addition of chocolate syrup at the rate of 2% (w/v) and 9% (v/v) respectively. Yoghurt was procured from local market and used as starter culture. The innoculum level of 2% (w/v) yielded a product having good setting properties with no syneresis which was preferred most by the sensory panelists. After setting the yoghurt, honey was added to obtain a product with smooth texture, semisolid consistency and sweet taste and aroma. A storage study of the final product was also carried out against plain yoghurt in refrigerated condition (7±1°C) whereby its sensory, physico-chemical and microbiological quality were monitored to approximately determine its shelf life. The shelf life of the formulated yoghurt was found to be 21 days under refrigerated conditions as compared to 15 days for plain yoghurt under same condition.