Attributes and consumer acceptance of yoghurt flavoured with non-cultivated indigenous Swazi fruits

Abstract

The value of non-cultivated indigenous fruits as flavouring agents for yoghurt has not been given sufficient attention in Swaziland. Consequently, commercial cultivated fruits are used as yoghurt flavours, resulting in higher production costs for the dessert. A study of sensory and physical characteristics of yoghurt flavoured with selected non-cultivated indigenous fruits was done. Fruit purees were made from tincozi, tineyi, and umfomfo, along with mixtures of strawberry, tincozi and tineyi; umfomfo and strawberry; and umfomfo and passion fruit. The physico–chemical properties measured were pH, titratable acidity and potential for syneresis. Sensory evaluation was done by an untrained panel consisting of available, local consumer folks used to doing sensory evaluation and the organoleptic characteristics assessed were appearance, texture and general acceptability. In all cases there were no significant (P > 0.05) changes in pH after 7 days of storage at 4 o