Effect of Different Concentrations of Coconut Milk on the Chemical and Sensory Properties of Soy-coconut Milk Based Yoghurt

The possibility of enhancing the sensory attributes of soy yoghurt through the use of composite soymilk was investigated. The effect of using starter cultures from different sources on the chemical characteristics and consumer acceptability was also studied. Soy milk containing 0, 10 and 20% coconut milk were used in the production of soy yoghurt using commercially available yoghurt starter and starters isolated from naturally fermenting soy milk and cow milk. Chemical and sensory characteristics of soy yoghurts obtained were evaluated. The pH of the yoghurt premixes at the beginning of fermentation ranged between 6.25 and 6.45; after fermentation the values were between 4.81 and 5.51 with commercially available starter bringing about greatest pH reduction. Chemical compositions of obtained soy yoghurts were as follows: titratable acidity as %lactic acid (0.25-0.43%), crude protein (2.66-3.62%), fat content (0.13-0.89%), total solid content (7.91-9.06%). Variation in premix formulation had no significant (P>0.05) effect on the chemical composition of different soy yoghurts obtained. Addition of coconut milk to soy milk improved the sensory characteristics of soy yoghurts with the premix containing 10% coconut milk fermented with starter obtained from cow milk producing yoghurts with the best taste, aroma, and acceptability. Results from the present study have demonstrated a further way of enhancing soy yoghurt acceptability by the western ‘palate’.