Fermented dairy products have long been associated with positive health benefits. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the physicochemical and sensory properties, viable probiotic counts, antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of probiotic yoghurt made by reconstituting of whole milk powder in aqueous fennel seed extract. Different concentrations of fennel aqueous seeds extract (2%, 4% and 6% w/v) were used as a substitute for water to reconstitute whole milk powder in formulations of yoghurt as functional additives. Interestingly, the use of aqueous extract of fennel seeds in the reconstituted yoghurt milk did not affect yoghurt composition (moisture, protein, fat and ash contents) compared to plain yoghurt. The titratable acidity significantly decreased after using aqueous fennel seed extract in the yogurt manufacture. In this regard, the titratable acidity value was 0.85 in the control yogurt at the fresh period and 1.14 after 21 days of storage, while this value significantly decreased in the yogurt treatments with 2%, 4% and 6% aqueous fennel seed extract to 80, 0.77 and 0.72, respectively, at fresh period and reached 1.03, 0.96 and 0.94, respectively, after 21 days of storage (p < 0.05). Conversely, the pH values significantly increased (p < 0.05) following the addition of aqueous fennel seed extract in the yogurt manufacture. Moreover, the total phenolic content significantly increased (p < 0.05) from 38.60 (mg GAE/L), in fresh plain yogurt, to 44.80, 53.20 and 64.30 (mg GAE/L), in 2% fennel extract yoghurt (FEY2), 4% fennel extract yoghurt (FEY4) and 6% fennel extract yoghurt (FEY6), respectively. Likewise, the antioxidant activity significantly increased (p < 0.05) from 0.11 (mM TE) in fresh plain yogurt to 0.18, 0.26 and 0.32 (mM TE) in (FEY2), (FEY4) and (FEY6), respectively. The survival of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus thermophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum decreased during storage time in all yoghurt treatments, although it stood at recommended levels for health effects (at least 106 cfu/mL in traditional yoghurt). For sensory evaluation, FEY4 was more acceptable, followed by FEY6, FEY2 and PY, respectively. Collectively, the present study provides useful information about the bioactivity, physicochemical and sensory properties of probiotic yoghurt made from whole milk powder reconstituted in aqueous fennel extract.

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic metabolic diseases, and its occurrence rate has increased in recent decades. Sidr (Ziziphus spina-christi L.) is a traditional herbaceous medicinal plant. In addition to its good flavor, sidr has antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, sedative, analgesic, and hypoglycemic activities. Camel milk has a high nutritional and health value, but its salty taste remains the main drawback in relation to its organoleptic properties. The production of flavored or fortified camel milk products to mask the salty taste can be very beneficial. This study aimed to investigate the effects of sidr fruit pulp (SFP) on the functional and nutritional properties of fermented camel milk. SFP was added to camel milk at rates of 5%, 10%, and 15%, followed by the selection of the best-fermented product in terms of functional and nutritional properties (camel milk supplemented with 15% SFP), and an evaluation of its hypoglycemic activity in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Thirty-two male adult albino rats (weighing 150–185 g) were divided into four groups: Group 1, nontreated nondiabetic rats (negative control); Group 2, diabetic rats given STZ (60 mg/kg body weight; positive control); Group 3, diabetic rats fed a basal diet with fermented camel milk (10 g/day); and Group 4, diabetic rats fed a basal diet with fermented camel milk supplemented with 15% SFP (10 g/day). The results revealed that supplementation of camel milk with SFP increased its total solids, protein, ash, fiber, viscosity, phenolic content, and antioxidant activity, which was proportional to the supplementation ratio. Fermented camel milk supplemented with 15% SFP had the highest scores for sensory properties compared to other treatments. Fermented camel milk supplemented with 15% SFP showed significantly decreased (p < 0.05) blood glucose, malondialdehyde, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, cholesterol, triglycerides, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, and urea, and a significantly increased (p < 0.05) high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, total protein content, and albumin compared to diabetic rats. The administration of fermented camel milk supplemented with 15% SFP in diabetic rats restored a series of histopathological changes alonsgside an improvement in various enzyme and liver function tests compared to the untreated group, indicating that fermented camel milk supplemented with 15% SFP might play a preventive role in such patients.

Synthetic chemical preservatives are widely used in the food industry to delay the deterioration caused by microbial growth, enzyme activities and oxidation reactions. The last few decades have witnessed marked interest in finding natural food preservatives due to the potential health damage of synthetic preservatives; consumers have become skeptical of consuming foods containing these additives. Polyphenols used as natural preservatives that can be extracted from fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices provide the best alternative for partial or complete replacement of their synthetic analogues. The present study’s emphasis was on employing different plant extracts to be efficiently used as antimicrobial agents for developing replacements for the synthetic chemical additives in food products. The study also investigated the antimicrobial potentialities of five medicinal plants, widely used in Egypt (sumac, tamarind, rosemary, roselle and lemon) against six microbial markers (E. coli, P. aeruginosae, B. subtilis, S. aureus, Penicillium sp. and A. niger.). Sumac extracts showed the best activity against all tested microorganisms, producing the widest inhibition zones ranging from 14 to 45 mm, followed by tamarind and roselle extracts, with inhibition zones ranging from 8–36 and 8–34 mm, respectively. On the other hand, extracts of rosemary and lemon showed variable antimicrobial activity. All extracts from all tested plants were less active against fungal species than bacterial species. In all cases, the organic extracts (80% methanol, 80% ethanol) showed the same or greater activity than the aqueous extracts. In addition, the methanolic extracts showed the strongest and broadest spectrum. The most sensitive strain to plant extracts was B. subtilis, while the most resistant strain was P. aeruginosae. The MIC and MBC or MFC values of methanolic extracts were assayed using the broth dilution method. Sumac extract showed the best activity against all tested microorganisms with the lowest values of MIC and MBC or MFC (from 0.260 to 0.877 and 0.310 to 1.316 mg/mL, respectively, for bacteria, and from 1.975 to 2.5 and 2.5 to 4.444 mg/mL, respectively, for fungi). Interestingly, the tested extracts inhibited microbial growth in tomato paste and pasteurized cow milk for a long storage period (increase shelf life) as compared to the control samples. In conclusion, herbal and spice extracts could be successfully applied as natural antimicrobials for the elimination of food borne microbes and pathogen growth.

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.

Fermented camel milk is rich in nutrients and vitamins necessary for the health of humans and has therapeutic properties. Date palm camel milk has been reported to be beneficial for preventing and treating various diseases in Arab countries. This study targeted the production of probiotic fermented camel milk fortified with date syrup. In addition, the effect of adding date syrup as a prebiotic and flavoring agent to probiotic fermented camel milk on the physicochemical, phytochemical, microbiological, and sensory properties of probiotic fermented camel milk during storage was investigated. Probiotic fermented camel milk without adding date syrup served as a control, and the other two treatments were supplemented with date syrup at ratios of 6.0% and 8.0%. Probiotic fermented camel milk was analyzed after 1 day and 15 days from storage at 5 ± 1 °C. Interestingly, the present study revealed that the addition of date syrup significantly (p ≥ 0.05) increased total solids (TS), ash, Na, K, Fe, acetaldehyde, total phenolic contents, and titratable acidity, viscosity, and antioxidant values of resultant synbiotic fermented camel milk, and this increase was proportional to the level of date syrup fortification. In addition, non-significant changes in these components were observed during the storage period. However, total protein and fat content did not show significant changes. Furthermore, the addition of date syrup significantly increased (p ≥ 0.05) the total bacterial and Bifidobacteria counts, and this increase was associated with the level of the addition of date syrup. The addition of date syrup also significantly (p ≥ 0.05) improved the sensory scores for flavor, consistency, appearance, and total scores of resultant products. Moreover, the addition of date syrup at a level of 8% showed the highest sensory scores. In conclusion, probiotic fermented camel milk could be produced using a probiotic strain and flavored with date syrup at a level of 8%.