Nutritional, Microbiological, and Organoleptic Assessment of Probiotic Yoghurt Fortified with <i>Aloe vera</i> Juice

The study aimed to develop a probiotic yoghurt drink with the addition of 5% <i>Aloe vera</i> juice. For this purpose, yoghurt drink samples were prepared from buffalo milk, biofortified with probiotics (<i>Lacticoseibacillus rhamnosus</i> and <i>Limosilactobacillus reuteri</i>), and evaluated for physicochemical (pH, acidity, moisture, total soluble solids, fat, protein), textural (synersis, water-holding capacity), morphological characterization (Gram staining, catalase test, growth curve assay, hemolysis assay, heat tolerance assay), microbiological (viability of probiotic organisms), and sensory characteristics (color and appearance, consistency, flavor, overall acceptability) during a storage of 15 days. Overall, the total soluble solids (8.80 ± 0.02 to 10.73 ± 0.02° Brix), protein contents (2.58 ± 0.01 to 3.23 ± 0.01%), water-holding capacity (65.38 ± 0.02 to 73.52 ± 0.02%), and sensory properties were improved in probiotic yoghurt drinks due to <i>Aloe vera</i> juice in all of the treatments. The range of other results gathered, including pH (3.85 ± 0.02 to 4.47 ± 0.02), acidity (0.73 ± 0.04 to 0.91 ± 0.04%), moisture (81.76 ±0.02 to 85.54 ± 0.04%), and fat (3.95 ± 0.01 to 4.50 ± 0.01%), were measured from T_o to T₅. The probiotics viability did not decrease during storage and remained above the recommended level (log¹⁰ cfu/g) in T₄ until the 15-days storage period. Also, treatment sample T₄ (5% <i>Aloe vera</i> + <i>Lacticoseibacillus rhamnosus</i> NPL 905) had maximum sensory scores, overall acceptability, and nutritional properties among others.