Yogurt from Coconut and Tigernuts

Yogurt was produced from milk obtained from coconut and tigernuts, singly, or in combination with fresh cow milk, by fermentation using starter cultures of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus (1:1 v/v) at 300C for 12h, and analyzed for its chemical, proximate and organoleptical qualities. The results obtained show that the pH of the various products ranged from 3.9-4.3; titratable acidity (% lactic acid) from 0.5-0.75, and crude protein (%) from 2.66-3.78. Yogurt produced from whole cow milk did not differ organoleptically (P> 0.05) from those produced from coconut + cow milk and coconut in all quality attributes (appearance, mouth feel, taste, aroma and sensory overall acceptability) but differed significantly (p < 0.05) from the other samples in appearance and sensory overall acceptability. This study has shown that it is feasible to prepare acceptable yogurt-like product from coconut and tigernuts, which should be of economic significance since cow milk is relatively expensive and highly perishable. The Journal of Food Technology in Africa Volume 5 Number 4 (October - December 2000), pp. 132-134 KEY WORDS: Coconut and tigernut yogurts, sensory qualities