Evaluation of Guava Pulp Microencapsulated in Mucilage of Aloe Vera and Opuntia ficus-indica as a Natural Dye for Yogurt: Functional Characterization and Color Stability

Abstract

The substitution of artificial colorants for pigments extracted from fruits is a highly desirable strategy in the food industry for the manufacture of natural, functional, and safe products. In this work, a 100% natural spray-dried (SD) microencapsulated colorant of pink guava pulp, using aloe vera (AV) or Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) mucilage as functional encapsulating material, was prepared and evaluated as an additive into a yogurt (Y) matrix. The characterization of yogurt samples supplemented with OFI (Y-SD-OFI) and AV (Y-SD-AV) mucilage-covered guava pulp microcapsules was carried out through carotenoid quantification using UV–vis and HPLC–MS techniques, dietary fiber content, antioxidant capacity, colorimetry, and textural analysis, as well as by an evaluation of color stability after 25 days of storage at 4 °C in the dark. These physicochemical characteristics and color stability on the Y-SD-OFI and Y-SD-AV samples were compared with those of a commercial yogurt (control sample, Y-C) containing sunset yellow FCF synthetic colorant (E110). Y-SD-OFI and Y-SD-AV samples exhibited a high content of lycopene, dietary fiber, and antioxidant activity, which were absent in the control sample. Microencapsulated lycopene imparted a highly stable color to yogurt, contrary to the effect provided by the E110 dye in the control sample. The texture profile analysis revealed an increase in firmness, consistency, and cohesion in the Y-SD-OFI sample, contrary to the Y-SD-AV and Y-C samples, which was attributed to the variation in fiber concentration in the microcapsules. The incorporation of OFI and AV mucilage microparticles containing pink guava pulp into yogurt demonstrated its potential application as a functional natural colorant for dairy products.

Experimental Investigation and Modeling for the Influence of Adding Date Press Cake on Drinkable Yogurt Quality

“…At the same time, the resilience values decreased with the increase in the addition of DPC and the progression of the storage period, with treatment T 3 recording a value of 0.31 vs. 0.64 for the control sample at the beginning of the storage period and 0.1 vs. 0.51 for the control sample at the end of the storage period. The results of the texture profile analysis in this study agree with those in previous studies [ 24 , 36 , 44 , 61 , 62 , 64 ].…”

“…The study attributed this to the natural pigments of the anthocyanins in tamarillo. In a study mixing microencapsulated guava pomace fibers with yogurt, the L* value was unaffected, and the values of a* and b* within the treatments were close; this was due to the contents of beta-carotene inside the guava pomace fibers used [ 62 ].…”

Effects of Guarana Aqua Extracts on Fermentation Kinetics and Quality Properties of Set-Type Yogurts

“…The diameter of the samples was 40 mm, and their height was 30 mm. The texture attribute "hardness" is defined as the maximum force of the 1st compression (Fmax) [28][29][30][31]. Average Fmax values were evaluated.…”