Abstract:
Consumption of probiotic yogurt offers several health benefits, including aiding
digestion, strengthening the immune system, and improving bone health. Bee products,
such as bee honey, royal jelly, and bee pollen, are recognized for their nutritional
richness and functional properties. The current study evaluated the proximate
composition and sensory attributes of bee products incorporating Bio yogurt. This
involves replacing synthetic preservatives with natural alternatives to counteract food
deterioration. Yogurts were prepared with the addition of 2% probiotic culture (ABT-5)
and refrigerated at 4°C. The experiment was conducted with four treatments, including
a control without any bee products (T1) and enriched variants with 0.6% royal jelly (T2),
5% bee honey (T3), and 0.5% bee pollen (T4). Proximate composition analysis, such as
protein, ash, carbohydrates, fat, and moisture content, was determined following the
AOAC guidelines and standard methods. The sensory assessment was conducted based
on a 9-point hedonic scale. The highest protein content (4.83%) and ash content (1.04%)
were observed in T4, while the highest carbohydrate content (21.33%) was found in
T3. The highest fat content (3.91%) and moisture content (76.72%) were recorded in
T1. Statistically significant variations were observed in proximate compositions among
treatments, and the majority of the above parameters are aligned with the standard
range established by SLS. The sensory characteristics of yogurts, such as aroma,
taste, and overall acceptability, were significantly different (p<0.05) among the four
treatments. No significant difference (p>0.05) was observed either in color or texture.
The addition of 0.5% bee pollen in yogurt significantly shows the highest value for all
sensory attributes. The study highlights the benefits of incorporating bee products to
improve quality, suitability for consumption, and sensory attributes. Future work is
recommended to analyze the composition and functional properties of bee products
and explore their impact at varying concentrations on yogurt formulation.
