Technology and quality of a fermented milk product with natural sweetener addition

This article addresses the current issue of improving the dietary regimen for individuals with diabetes, in response to the increasing number of diagnosed cases. The adverse effects of artificial sweeteners and the potential health risks they pose are described. As a natural alternative, the use of stevia extract as a sugar substitute is proposed. The study details the technological process of producing yogurt from goat milk with the addition of stevia extract, and evaluates its nutritional, physicochemical, and organoleptic properties. To comprehensively assess the product's quality and safety, organoleptic, microbiological, and physicochemical analysis methods were applied. The yogurt production process included milking, deaeration, filtration, cooling, quality assessment, fat standardization, homogenization, pasteurization, fermentation, further cooling, addition of stevia extract, maturation, and storage of the final product. The study was conducted at the milk processing pilot plant of S. Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical Research University. Based on the results, a functional yogurt product was developed containing: fat – 5.8 ±0.05%, protein – 5.425 ±0.05%, carbohydrates – 4.21 ±0.05%, sucrose – 0.54 ±0.01%, and lactose – 1.23 ±0.01%. Goat milk yogurt with stevia extract stands out for its low caloric value, low glycemic index, and natural composition, making it a recommended dietary product for individuals with diabetes and those following a healthy lifestyle.