Development of Fermented Camel Milk Incorporating Oats and Sukkari Date Palm Fruit: Nutritional, Physicochemical, Functional, and Organoleptic Attributes

Abstract

Camel milk-based products have shown significant interest and remarkable growth in recent years. These products are valued as functional items due to their unique nutritional properties and potential health benefits. This study prepared fermented camel milk with the incorporation of unconventional ingredients, oat beverage and date palm fruit. Camel milk was mixed with 10% of Sukkari date paste with different concentrations of oat beverage (0, 25, 50, and 75%). The treatments were then fermented at 42 °C for roughly 3 h using ABT-5 starter culture. Multiple tests were then performed during the storage period to investigate the effects of oats supplementation on the characteristics of the prepared treatments. The results showed that the most favorable treatment was T2 (25% of oat beverage); it showed higher microbial activity by 2–7% compared to the control treatment, leading to a significant increase in total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. An increase in β-glucan content was also observed (0.05 g 100 g−1 DW), although more enhancements are suggested to reach at least 0.1 g 100 g−1 DW if considering β-glucan enrichment. Further, a significant increase in iron content was recorded in only T2 compared to other treatments; a decrease in phytic acid due to increased microbial activity in T2 is a possible explanation. Furthermore, T2 was the most liked treatment regarding taste, color, aroma, and texture. In conclusion, a 25% of oat beverage supplementation in fermented camel milk showed desirable effects and provided an innovative fermented camel milk. Investigating higher concentrations of more than 25% but less than 50% of oat beverages is suggested.