Fortification of set yogurt with Tribute citrus essential oil: effects on physicochemical properties,...

This study aimed to develop an alternative yogurt product with high consumer acceptance by evaluating the effects of Tribute citrus essential oil (TCEO) at various concentrations (0-10‰) on its physicochemical properties, multi-spectroscopic characteristics, microstructure, and sensory functionality. Increasing the essential oil (EO) concentration enhanced key parameters of set yogurt: The water-holding capacity increased from 0.64 (control) to 0.98 (10‰) (p < 0.05). Rheological behavior was altered, with the crystalline angle (2θ) decreasing to approximately 20°. The glass transition temperature also decreased from 76.45 °C to 74.32 °C (p < 0.05). A total of 88 volatile organic compound (VOC) fingerprints were identified using headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS), contributing 93.6% to the principal component analysis (PCA). Analysis through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) further highlighted a more uniform and dense microstructure. This research demonstrated the feasibility of fabricating high-quality EO-fortified set yogurt.