Effect of differently processed fruit preparations on the quality characteristics of strawberry yogurt

Advancing on preliminary research, the aim of this work was to further study how partial air dehydration applied to fruit pieces before freezing, alone or in combination with osmo-dehydration, could improve not only quality of strawberry slices used in yogurt preparation but also yogurt characteristics. Raw (NT), air-dehydrated (D), and osmo-air-dehydrated (OD) strawberry slices (cv. Tethis) were heat-treated, and then added (final concentration = 15%) to plain yogurt. Chemical, physical, and sensory analyses were carried out on the products after 15 and 30 days of storage at +4degreesC. D and OD ingredients showed better texture than NT strawberry slices. Analyses, carried out during the shelf-life of fruit-yogurt, showed a dynamic exchange of sugars between fruit pieces and yogurt. Yogurts containing the dehydrated fruit pieces were more viscous than those with fresh strawberry ingredients, particularly at the end of shelf-life (30 days). Relationship between sensory response and objective texture indexes was found