Fermented dairy products have been associated with multiple health benefits. The present study aimed to produce a functional yogurt drink fortified with golden berry juice and assess its therapeutic effect on hepatitis rats. Thirty male albino rats were randomly divided into two major groups. The first group included the control (-) animals (six rats) and was fed a standard diet, whereas the second group included 24 rats that were fed a standard diet and injected with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) for 2 weeks to trigger chronic damage of the liver (hepatitis); they were then divided into four groups (six rats/group): Group 2: hepatitis, fed on a standard diet as a positive control group; Group 3: received a basal diet with 5 mL of the yogurt drink; Group 4: received a basal diet with 5 mL of the yogurt drink fortified with 10% golden berry juice. Group 5: received a basal diet with 5 mL of the yogurt drink fortified with 20% golden berry juice. Various biological parameters were determined. Yogurt drink treatments were evaluated for their chemical, phytochemical, and sensory properties, as well as for their effects on hepatoprotective activity by determining various biochemical parameters. We found that the yogurt drinks containing golden berry juice exhibited no significant differences in fat, protein, and ash content compared with the control samples. Moreover, the yogurt drinks containing golden berry juice exhibited the highest content of total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and organoleptic scores among all treatments. In addition, rats fed on a diet fortified with yogurt drinks containing golden berry juice for 8 weeks exhibited higher potential hepatoprotective effects compared with the liver injury control group. This improvement was partly observed in the group that received the yogurt drink containing golden berry juice. Therefore, we concluded that golden berry juice can be recommended as a natural additive in the manufacture of functional yogurt drinks, as it showed a potential hepatoprotective effect in rats with hepatitis.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic condition described by persistent hyperglycemia due to low secretion of insulin, insulin resistance, or a combination of both. Many studies suggested the potential anti-diabetic effect of camel milk and the important role of the bioactive components of mint and sage in decreasing the side effects of diabetes disease. This study was designed to assess the anti-diabetic potential of fermented camel milk fortified with sage or mint leaves powder (1 and 1.5%) in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Methods: Forty-two adult normal male albino rats were taken for the study where one group was kept as the non-diabetic control group (6 rats) while others 36 rats were made diabetic by alloxan injection (150 mg/kg of body weight). Among diabetic rats, a control (+) group (6 rats) was kept and referred to as diabetic control whereas the other 5 groups (7rats each) of diabetic rats were fed on fermented camel milk (FCM) or fermented camel milk fortified with sage or mint leaves powder( 1 and 1.5%). Results: The oral administration of fermented camel milk fortified with sage or mint leaves powder caused a significant decreased in blood glucose level and lipid profile, and increased in insulin level compared to the control (+) and FCM groups, and the best results were observed with fermented camel milk fortified with 1.5% sage powder. The results also found that the fermented camel milk fortified with sage or mint leaves powder improved the liver and kidney functions of diabetic rats. Importantly, treatment of diabetic animals fermented camel milk fortified with sage or mint leaves powder resulted in significant amelioration of the histopathological changes of pancreatic, liver, and kidney observed in diabetic animals. Conclusion: Our study recommends the use of sage and mint leaves powder (at a ratio of 1.5%) with fermented camel milk to produce functional food products with anti-diabetic activity.