ASSESSMENT OF NUTRIENT CONTENTS, SHELF LIFE AND ORGANOLEPTIC PROPERTIES OF YOGURT FROM POWDERED MILK FORTIFIED WITH PAWPAW (CARICA PAPAYA) PEEL EXTRACT

ABSTRACT Dietary fibre enriched food is gaining more popularity due to their numerous health benefits. In this study, papaya peel powder was prepared as a source of dietary fibre to be fortified in yogurt at different concentrations 95:5, 90:10, 85:15 and 100:0 yoghurt as a control. Samples were coded as YPP0, YPP1, YPP2 and YPP3, respectively. Proximate, mineral composition, total titratable acidity (TTA), pH, sensory analysis, antioxidants were determined using standard methods. The bioactive compounds in Pawpaw peel extract were identified using Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry (GC- MS). Results showed that sample containing 85% of yoghurt combined with 15% Pawpaw peel extract had the highest percentages (p ˂ 0.05) of carbohydrates, crude fiber, protein and ash (26.31%), (11.70%), (9.03%) and (1.09%) respectively. Sample containing 100% yoghurt has the highest percentage of fat (2.42%) and moisture content (52.27%) value. The sample containing 85% yoghurt combined with 15% pawpaw peel extract has the highest value for OH (77.20%), Frap (24.96%) and DPPH (70.1%). The pH of the samples prepared had no significant difference (P > 0.05) as the concentration of Pawpaw peel powder was raised. However, a notable reduction in pH was observed after storage. Colour parameters were also significantly affected (P < 0.05) by the addition of Pawpaw peel extract , with fortified samples exhibiting darker and more yellowish colour than the control sample. However, conventional yogurt lacks several nutrients, including phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, iron, and others, so it has fewer biological effects such as anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, antibacterial, and anticancer. As a result, enriching yogurt with natural functional ingredients can increase both the physicochemical characteristics of yogurts as well as their biological activity.