Sensory characteristics of peach-flavored yogurt drinks containing prebiotics and synbiotics

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a prebiotic (fructooligosaccharide) or a synbiotic ingredient (fructooligosaccharide and Lactobacillus acidophilus) on the sensory properties and consumer acceptability of peach-flavored drinkable yogurts. Descriptive analysis and consumer testing were carried out for the six yogurt drinks used in this study. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the descriptive data showed significant differences (P < 0.05) among the samples for 8 of the 12 attributes. Both the descriptive and consumer data indicated that the differences among the samples were either because of the fat content or the presence of synbiotics and prebiotics. The yogurts containing the prebiotic were not significantly different from their comparable controls indicating that a prebiotic can be added without impacting acceptance. However, the samples (skim milk and whole milk) containing the synbiotic were the least acceptable indicating that synbiotic combination had a negative impact on acceptance. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.