Abstract
There is a constant increase in the attention being paid to food quality and the effects of food on human health among consumers. Vegetable milk is among the foods whose consumption worldwide has increased because, when compared to animal-derived milk, it offers numerous benefits for human health. The aim of this research work was to use vegetable milk to obtain yogurt-like products enriched with different concentrations of carob seed flour, which has a double function: to modify, and thus perfect, the rheological characteristics of vegetable-milk-based yogurt-like samples and to increase their nutritional value. The rheological parameters of the obtained samples were studied both in static and dynamic conditions, confirming that carob seed flour, especially at the highest used concentrations (0.75%; 1%), allows one to obtain products characterized by a good stability and suitable rheological characteristics. The obtained yogurt-like products may also be consumed by celiac subjects, since carob seed flour is a gluten-free flour, and allow celiac consumers to combine a gluten-free diet with a diet free of animal derivatives. Furthermore, the addition of carob flour allows one to obtain a tasty product thanks to the sweet taste of the carob seed flour.
Highlights
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, which leads to mild or severe symptoms, especially at the gastrointestinal level
As can be seen from the obtained results, there is no correlation between carob seed flour (CSF) amount and gel point time; so, we can suppose that the flour amount does not affect the gelation time
The obtained products have the advantages derived from the use of vegetable milk and the advantages derived from the use of carob seed flour, which acts as a thickener
Summary
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, which leads to mild or severe symptoms, especially at the gastrointestinal level. Its clinical signs occur in a genetically predisposed subject following gluten intake. For a person who is genetically predisposed to a celiac disease, the only way to avoid the manifestation of this pathology is to consume exclusively gluten-free food and beverages [1]. In the last few years, among the consumers, there is an increase in the consumption of products derived from plants as there are numerous studies in literature in which it has been shown that the vegetarian diet decreases the risk of dangerous diseases for humans, such as obesity and coronary heart disease [2]. Plant-based diets could reduce healthcare costs [3]. For all these reasons, an increase in the demand for plant-derived products was recorded
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