There is an increasing trend in yoghurt consumption due to the health benefits from the gut bacteria present in yoghurt. However, there is need to evaluate other inexpensive nutrient sources such as spices (turmeric) which contain a lot of phytochemicals to make yoghurt more nutritious. Fresh turmeric rhizome was sorted, washed, peeled and milled. Ethanol was added to obtain turmeric extract. The turmeric extract was added to the yoghurt before (YTBF) and after fermentation (YTAF) at different ratios of yoghurt: Turmeric (95:5, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20, 75:25 and 100:0). Proximate composition and sensory characteristics of the blends were determined using standard procedures. Results obtained show that the addition of turmeric extract to the yoghurt had significant (p < 0.05) effect on the parameters analyzed. The protein, fat, ash and carbohydrate content of YTBF samples ranged from 2.70 - 3.98, 1.56 - 1.74, 0.20 - 0.38 and 7.69 - 8.25%, respectively while that of sampled YTAF ranged from 2.64 - 3.85, 1.53 - 1.69, 0.24 - 0.54 and 7.87 - 8.26%, respectively. From the sensory scores, sample with the lowest level of turmeric extract (YTBF1) (95:5) was most preferred and compared favorably with the control sample based on colour, taste and overall acceptability. The incorporation of turmeric extract in yoghurt improved the nutrient content of the yoghurt samples. Increased levels above 10% (90:10) led to a more intense colour and spicy taste which did not appeal to the panelists.

 

Key words: Yoghurt, turmeric, fermentation, proximate composition, sensory characteristics.