Abstract:
Soybean has the main protein source among legume crops. Because of this, soymilk based
beverages are presented as healthy food alternatives for human nutrition. It is similar to cow’s
milk both in appearance and consistency. However, the ‘‘beany’’ flavors, chalky mouth feel of
the milk made it unacceptable by majority of soymilk consumers. The objective of this study was
to develop soy-based beverages with better physicochemical and sensory quality to overcome the
above limitations through mixing the milk with mango nectar and sucrose solution in different
ratios. Fourteen formulations of the beverages were prepared using D-optimal mixture simplex
lattice design with the aid of Design-Expert software with a ratio of 60-100% soymilk, 0-25%
mango nectar and 0-15% sucrose solution. Sensory acceptability was assessed using 5-point
Hedonic Scale. Total aerobic plate count was used to determine the microbial quality and shelf
life stability of selected beverage. The major response variables of physicochemical, sensory and
microbial quality of mix ratios were analyzed. Results of this study show that a significance
difference (p<0.05) in TSS, total color change, protein, ether extract, β-caroten, phytic acid, Fe,
K, flavor, taste and overall acceptability were observed among the mix ratios. The overall
optimum values were found in a range of SM 67-84%, MN 12-25%, and SS 0-15%.Among 14
treatment combinations considering all measured parameters soymilk based beverage with ratio
of 80% soymilk, 14 % mango nectar and 6 % sucrose solution was superior in terms of attaining
overall acceptability and nutritional quality . Furthermore in terms of microbial quality and
shelf life stability, sample kept at 4o
C was found more stable while the one kept at room
temperature spoiled on the same date of preparation.
