Quality evaluation of yoghurt incorporated with beetroot puree

Abstract Yoghurt is widely consumed due to its nutritional value and associated health benefits. The incorporation of natural plant-based additives such as beetroot has gained attention as a potential alternative to synthetic ingredients. This study evaluated the effect of beetroot puree incorporation (2%, 2.03%, and 8%) on the nutritional, antioxidant, and microbiological properties of yoghurt. Yoghurt samples were produced using standard procedures and incubated at 43 ± 1 °C for 2.5 h. Proximate composition, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content were determined using standard analytical methods. Antioxidant activity increased from 61.30% in the control sample to 84.77% in yoghurt containing 8% beetroot puree, whereas total phenolic content increased from 0.38 to 5.40 mg gallic acid equivalents/g. LAB counts ranged from 7.20 × 10 3 to 7.86 × 10 4 cfu/g, which are below the standard threshold typically required for yoghurt products, indicating that the fermentation process may not have reached full microbial maturity under the conditions applied. The relatively low LAB counts observed may be attributed to the short fermentation period (2.5 h). Beetroot incorporation significantly improved antioxidant properties and phenolic content but had no statistically significant effect (p > 0.05) on proximate composition. These findings suggest that beetroot puree can serve as a functional ingredient to enhance the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of yoghurt.