Vol. 11, Issue 11 (2022)

Sucrose plays a significant role in many dietary health problems such as diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease and obesity. Stevia rebaudiana (sugar leaf) is one of the most non-caloric natural sweeteners known to humankind, and due to its beneficial attributes on human health; there is a greater possibility of its use in dairy industry. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of replacing cane sugar/sucrose with Stevia rebaudiana leaf extract powder (at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% levels) on the physiochemical, textural, microbiological and organoleptic qualities of the developed low-calorie yoghurt. There were no significant differences in curd setting time, pH, fat and total solids content of the yoghurt supplemented with cane sugar, stevia and a mixture of cane sugar and stevia. A panel of six judges, using the nine-point hedonic scale, carried out sensory profiling of the control and treatment yoghurt samples. The supplementation of stevia’s leaf extract powder in yoghurt increased the flavour and taste, body and texture, and overall acceptance scores, but did not affect the appearance and colour. The textural properties like firmness, consistency, cohesiveness and viscosity index of the control and treatments exhibited significant difference among them. As the cane sugar replacement level increased, the textural parameters of the treatments were also increased. The viscosity index was lower in cane sugar yoghurts when compared to the yoghurts made with stevia or stevia + cane sugar, which was also reflected in the sensory scores. The coliform and yeast and mould count of control and treatments exhibited no significant difference among them and were within the FSSAI (2012) prescribed limits. From the above results, it is clear that the use of Stevia rebaudiana in the production of yoghurt not only has a positive effect on the energy composition of the product but also improves the organoleptic and textural characteristics. Hence, it can be concluded that low-calorie yoghurt can be prepared by replacing cane sugar with Stevia rebaudiana leaf extract powder up to 100 per cent levels without affecting the physiochemical, microbiological, textural and sensory properties.