Color stability and degradation kinetics of anthocyanins in mulberry stirred yoghurt fermented by different starter cultures

To evaluate the storage stability of anthocyanin in stirred yoghurt, mulberry juice and different starter cultures (S) were added into milk to investigate the color stability and degradation kinetics of anthocyanin. The result showed that the redness value decreased, while the brightness value increased, and the anthocyanin content decreased significantly from 1.47 ~ 1.86 to 1.01 ~ 1.19 mg/g. The degradation kinetics followed a first-order reaction. Principal component analysis showed that S₂ and S₆ were correlated with anthocyanins, S₈ and S₄ were correlated with a*. At the later stage, S₄, S₈ were correlated with a*, while S₂, S₄, S₆ were correlated with anthocyanins. At 28th day, the anthocyanin content of S₄ was 1.14 mg/g, which was not the highest, but the total score was the highest. Therefore, S₄ was the best choice when the storage period is 28 days. This study provided technical support for the selection of a better starter for stirring yoghurt.