Rheological and Physicochemical Properties of Soy-Moringa Beverages: The Role of Xanthan Gum Stabilisation

The increasing demand for functional foods underscores the need to develop stable plant-based products. In this study, soy-moringa beverages with varying concentrations of xanthan gum were produced and stored at 4 °C for two weeks. During storage, rheological properties were analysed using a Brookfield rheometer, and assessments of physicochemical properties and beverage stability. The rheograms revealed that shear stress increased with the shear rate, while viscosity decreased by 92.31% in S3 and 97.37% in S4 as the shear rate increased. The Ostwald-de Waele model effectively described the flow behaviour of the soy-moringa beverage. Beverages enriched with xanthan gum exhibited shear-thinning behaviour (n < 1), whereas the control sample exhibited shear-thickening behaviour (n > 1) throughout storage. Significant increases (p < 0.05) were observed in moisture content (2.38%), ash content (32.95%), and total solids (28.80%) with increasing xanthan gum concentration. The results indicate that adding 0.3% to 0.5% xanthan gum enhanced the stability of the soy-moringa beverages during storage. Incorporating xanthan gum enhances the stability, texture, and shelf life of soy-moringa beverages, providing valuable insights for developing stable plant-based functional beverages.