FORMULATION OF STIRRED PROBIOTIC FRUIT YOGURT TO BOOST IMMUNITY

The food we eat plays a key aspect in determining our overall health and immunity. Improving our immunity during the Covid-19 pandemic is challenging for all age groups. So this study focused on formulating a ready to drink called probiotic fruit yogurt from less utilized passion fruits (Passiflora edulis), as a good option to build resilience in the body against infections and also to help the planters of Thandikudi hills, Tamil Nadu to promote their harvest into a valuable product. Passion fruits were procured and handled in a very hygienic manner. The formulation of stirred fruit yogurts was carried out in three different ratios (10%, 15%, and 20% pulp). These samples were standardized by sensory evaluation (9 points hedonic scale) and physicochemical parameters (pH). Fruit yogurt made from 20% passion fruit pulp scored the highest value in the mean score (8.5±0.17) for sensory evaluation except for texture. The pH value of the passion fruit yogurt was 3.5 found and it was more acidic compared to the plain yogurt value of 3.7 because of the addition of fruit pulp which was balanced by the addition of sugar/stevia. The acceptability of the stirred probiotic fruit yogurt with 20% pulp was mainly because of the flavoring compounds of the yellow passion fruit (P. edulis Sims f. flavicarpa Deg)