Using of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) starch as stabilizer in yogurt

Starch has gained significant attention as a functional ingredient in food industry applications, primarily due to its effectiveness as a thickening agent. In this study, starch was extracted from Beaugard sweet potato under optimized processing conditions, yielding the highest extraction efficiency. The extracted starch was then incorporated into raw milk at different levels (0.5%, 0.75%, 1%, and 1.5%) and compared to two control groups: one without any additives (YC) and the other with 0.6% gelatin (YG) to evaluate the effect of starch addition on the physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory properties on yogurt during cold storage (5 ± 1 °C for 21 days). The results showed that starch addition at levels 1% and 1.5% significantly improved the stability of yogurt, showed slight changes in total acidity, pH reduced, and reduced syneresis compared to the control samples (YC, YG). Furthermore, sensory evaluation indicated improved acceptance of the starch-enriched samples in terms of appearance, body, texture, taste, and acceptability. Microbiological analysis showed a gradual increase in the total bacterial count in all samples during cold storage, pathogenic coliform bacteria were not detected throughout the storage period, this is a confirmation of good manufacturing practices to keep food safety.