Effects of Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) Leaf on Quality and Antioxidant Activity of Yogurt during Refrigerated Storage

The supplementation with natural ingredients that are rich in polyphenols could improve the quality and functionality of yogurt. Lotus leaf (LL) are abundant in phenolic compounds. We aimed to investigate the effects of LL powder on the quality properties, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity of yogurt. Yogurt was supplemented with four different concentrations (0%, 0.2%, 0.5%, and 1%) of LL powder and evaluated for 14 d refrigerated storage. During storage, the titratable acidity (TA) of all LL yogurt groups was higher than that of the control (p<0.05). The L* and a* values decreased by LL addition to the yogurts, while the b* values increased. All LL yogurt groups indicated better viscosity than that of control, and among them, 0.2% LL yogurts had the highest viscosity without significant decrease until the end of the storage duration. The addition of LL into yogurt enhanced the water-holding capacity (WHC) by at least 1.5-fold than that of control for the entire storage duration. The TPC of yogurts gradually increased with the addition of LL (p<0.05) and continued to increase during storage; the 1% LL yogurt at 14 d showed the highest value of 61.94±1.68 μg GAE/g. The DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity and reducing power of the yogurts were also significantly enhanced with increasing LL concentrations (p<0.05). These results suggest that lotus leaf may be useful as a natural ingredient for improving the quality and antioxidant activity of yogurt.