Background and objective: Ocimum basilicum, generally identified as sugary basil, is a popular culinary herb. It contains functional oils such as chavicol, linalool, and eugenol, which are usually used in food and pharmaceutical industries. The aim of this study was evaluating the effect of basil seed gum on physicochemical and sensory attributes of low-fat probiotic yogurt.
Materials and methods: Effect of basil seed gum at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.2% w/w was studied in low fat probiotic yogurt during 1, 7, and 15 days. pH, acidity, viscosity, and dry matter were analyzed in the samples and compared to control. Sensory properties were included to color, texture, mouthfeel, and flavor.
Results and conclusion: After addition of basil seed gum to the yogurts, pH of the samples was slightly lower than control. By increasing the concentration of gum, viscosity and dry matter were increased during storage. Analysis of sensory evaluation showed that the samples containing gum had significant differences in texture compared to control. Sensory properties were improved by addition of gum except for color which had the best score in control. The samples containing 0.1% w/w gum had significantly better flavor in comparison to the samples containing 0.2% w/w gum in which the best mouthfeel was found. The least score of mouthfeel was related to control, although the differences were not significant. Results showed that basil seed hydrocolloid has good potential to be used as fat replacer in food formula such as yogurt.