Chia seed oil as an additive to yogurt

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a 2% chia seed oil addition to natural yogurt on its quality and to determine whether chia seed oil can be used as an additive in fermented milk products. The dominant species of microorganisms found in yogurt was Lb. delbruecki subsp. bulgaricus. The number in natural yogurt varied from 6.2 to 6.3·106 CFU·g-1 and in enriched yogurt between 6.1 and 6.3·106 CFU·g-1. Chia seed oil contained 4.5 g of sterol per 100 g of oil. The addition of 2% chia seed oil to natural yogurt resulted in a high content of phytosterol in yogurt. Natural yogurt contained 1.2 g of cholesterol in 100 g of the fat fraction of yogurt. Enriched yogurt contained 2 g of phytosterols. The addition of 2% chia seed oil to natural yogurt resulted in higher amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, especially linoleic and α-linolenic acid.