Development of Yoghurt Incorporated with Beetroot Puree and Its Effect on the Physicochemical Properties and Consumer Acceptance

Background Yoghurt is one of the most popularly consumed fermented products which provides several nutritional benefits. Yoghurt products often include flavour and colour additives however, growing awareness of the risks associated with synthetic food additives has necessitated the need to explore more natural colour and flavour as food additives. Methods This study evaluated the effect of beetroot puree as flavouring and colourant in yoghurt production and quality. To develop the yoghurt product, incubation time and proportion of beetroot puree were optimized based on the resulting pH, titratable acidity, colour, and viscosity using response surface methods. Results Optimum yoghurt formulations were obtained in products containing 2 %, 2.03 % and 8 % beetroot puree following an incubation of 2.5h. Increasing beetroot puree did not affect the pH and titratable acidity of the yoghurt samples but slightly influenced the viscosity of the yoghurt. The colour of yoghurt was mainly affected by the puree concentration. A consumer acceptance test was conducted on the optimized products compared to a control sample without beetroot. Yoghurt incorporated with 8 % beetroot puree was the least preferred with a mean score of 6.08, whereas yoghurt incorporated with 2.03 % beetroot puree was the most preferred (7.42), with a higher acceptance than the control (7.28). Conclusion /Implications for industry: Findings from the study provide evidence for exploration of beetroot yoghurt as a natural product alternative to the use of synthetic flavour and colour additives in yoghurt

HANDLING, SAFETY AND HYGIENIC PRACTICES OF FROZEN MEAT AND FISH DURING VENDING IN THE KUMASI METROPOLIS

This study assessed the extent to which cold store operators and table-top meat and fish sellers in Kumasi, employed safe meat and fish handling practices.  The meat and fish safety knowledge and attitudes of food vendors and household consumers were also assessed. Data was collected from 155 respondents comprising 53 cold store operators, 42 table-top vendors and 60 consumers using semi-structured questionnaires. The majority of respondents were females aged between 20 – 40 years. Cold store operators were generally more educated than the table-top meat and fish sellers who had only basic or no formal education. However, formal education had little effect on respondents’ knowledge and adoption of meat       handling and safety practices. Neither meat and fish vendors nor consumers considered hygiene as necessary in their selection of suppliers and purchase of products. Although most claimed to be aware of meat and fish contaminants, they could not mention specific pathogens that contaminated either products. While most table-top vendors wore overalls, the purpose was not to reduce contamination of meat and fish but to promote personal cleanliness. The findings indicate the need for further studies and interventions to bridge the existing gap between knowledge and practice in the frozen meat and fish industry. We propose a conceptual framework for an integrated approach involving all key stakeholders for safe vending of frozen fish and meat. Other urban cities in developing nations could adopt the framework to promote safe and hygienic practices in the frozen meat and fish industry