Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Processes

Author ORCID Identifier

Mahmoud E. A. Hamouda https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9282-6780

Ratul Kalita https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1310-3138

Pratibha Chaudhary https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7419-1433

Omar A. A. Abdelsater https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3045-3748

Volume

14

Issue

1

Publisher

MDPI AG

Publication Date

12-31-2025

Journal Article Version

Version of Record

First Page

1

Last Page

21

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of incorporating chia seed gel powder (CSGP) as a natural, clean-label stabilizer on the physicochemical, functional, microbiological, microstructural, antioxidant, and sensory properties of probiotic low-fat yogurt (PLFY) during 21 days of refrigerated storage. Six formulations were prepared using 0–2.5% CSGP, including Control (0% CSGP), YOG1 (0.5% CSGP), YOG2 (1.0% CSGP), YOG3 (1.5% CSGP), YOG4 (2.0% CSGP), and YOG5 (2.5% CSGP). Results showed that increasing CSGP levels noticeably enhanced the total solids, protein content, viscosity, hardness, and water-holding capacity of the PLFY (p < 0.05), while consistently reducing syneresis. Antioxidant activity also rose with higher CSGP concentrations, with YOG5 exhibiting the greatest DPPH scavenging activity (35.12%). Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed a denser and more uniform protein network in PLFY fortified with CSGP, consistent with rheological measurements showing increased storage (G′) and loss (G″) moduli. Probiotic viability significantly increased (p < 0.05) in CSGP-added samples, indicating a potential prebiotic effect of CSGP. Sensory results demonstrated that although higher CSGP levels slightly darkened the yogurt color, body, texture, flavor, and total sensory scores improved markedly, with YOG5 gaining the highest total score (81.77). The results demonstrate that CSGP acts as a highly effective, multifunctional ingredient that enhances texture, stability, probiotic viability, and antioxidant capacity, making it a strong clean-label candidate for developing high-quality, functional probiotic low-fat yogurt.

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