Antioxidant properties of soy-dairy milk blends fermented with probiotics

Objective: Evaluate the effect of the substitution of cow milk with soy beverage on the antioxidant properties, physicochemical parameters, and sensory quality of the probiotic and conventional fermented beverages. Design/methodology/approach: Different combinations of soy beverage (T180%, T260%, T340%, and T420%) with cow milk (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%, respectively) were fermented with either conventional or probiotic cultures. The antioxidant activity of fermented beverages was evaluated by DPPH method and the samples were also characterized for protein, fat, solids non-fat, density, and acidity. Sensory evaluation was done in order to determine the acceptability of the fermented beverages. Results: Overall, most treatments fermented with the probiotic culture showed higher (P0.05) antioxidant capacity compared to those fermented with the conventional culture. In contrast, for both starter cultures, it was observed that the T1 treatment displayed the highest (P0.05) antioxidant activity compared with the other treatments (T2, T3, and T4). Similarly, the treatment T1-probiotic culture was the most preferred, being the aroma and appearance, the sensory properties scored with the highest degree of liking. Study Limitations: Follow-up research is needed to identify the bioactive compounds responsible for antioxidant properties exhibited by fermented soy-dairy milk beverages. Findings/conclusions: Probiotic cultures can be used to generate soy-dairy milk fermented beverages with noticeable antioxidant and sensory properties.