Encapsulation of Curcumin With Persian Gum and Its Application to the Production of Functional Yogurt: Physicochemical, Antioxidant, Sensory Properties, and Starter Bacteria Survival Study

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the ability of Persian gum to encapsulate curcumin and enhance its stability in dairy products. Given the increasing interest in functional foods, this study investigated the incorporation of nanocapsules containing curcumin (CLN) into functional stirred yogurt (CLN‐Y). CLN was prepared with Persian gum (PG) at different levels and included in the yogurt formula (CLN‐Y1%, CLN‐Y2%, and CLN‐Y3%). The physicochemical properties, rheological characteristics, antioxidant activity (AA), survival of starter bacteria, and sensory properties of the yogurt were evaluated over a 21‐day storage period at 4°C. The results showed that CLN significantly improved AA (reduction of 7.31% in the control vs. 1.85% in CLN‐Y3%), viscosity, hardness, and water holding capacity (reduction of 2.27% in control vs. 1.14% in CLN‐Y3%), while reducing syneresis (an increase of 10.87% in control vs. 3.16% in CLN‐Y3%) during storage ( p < 0.05). CLN concentration directly affected AA. Although CLN‐Y exhibited a yellowish color and lower light intensity than the control, the samples were well accepted during storage. Increasing CLN levels led to decreased taste, color, and overall acceptance scores, and a 3% concentration is recommended for yogurt formulation due to its potential to improve yogurt quality, provide antioxidant benefits, maintain probiotic viability, and achieve high consumer acceptance during storage.