HR-MS metabolomics unveils the bioactive profile of set yoghurt fortified with freeze-dried strawberry powder

• Fruit fortification enhanced antioxidant, phenolic and bioactive compounds in yoghurt. • FSP fortification in yoghurt at 8% was found best and subjected to HR-MS metabolomics. • Yoghurt Vitamin C and carotenoid content significantly increased with FSP addition. • Metabolomics have unveiled 34 major bioactive compounds owing multifaceted functions. • Metabolites such as lipids, phenolics, EAAs, flavonoids, and derivatives were seen. Fruit fortified yoghurts generally have a good potential to provide the functional and bioactive components for health promotion. The present study delineates with the optimization of fruit yoghurt with the addition of freeze-dried strawberry powder (FSP) (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12% w/w) and investigate its functional and bioactive profiles. The addition of FSP decreased pH and syneresis significantly, while increasing the titratable acidity (TA). Yoghurt containing 8% FSP has shown the best colour, sensory and textural scores. The optimised yoghurt showed the total phenolic content of 164.41 mg GAE/100g, total flavonoid content of 429.74 mg CE/100g and antioxidant activity of 53.32% DPPH inhibition. Additionally, an untargeted HR-MS profiling has revealed the presence of 34 major bioactive compounds with multifaceted functional properties. α-Linolenic acid, quercetin-3β-D-glucoside, ellagic acid, rhus flavanone, coumarate, kaempferol, fatty acids, amino acids and many derivatives were detected in the metabolome in the RT range of 0.9 to 28 min. Numerous such metabolites are known for their anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-CVD, and anti-oxidant activities. The study highlights the potential of fruit-fortified yoghurts as composite dairy foods with a good level of bioactive compounds.