Production of Probiotic Doogh Enriched with Red Ginseng Extract

Nowadays, Ginseng is used in production of functional foods because of its beneficial effects in prevention and treatment of cancers, diabetes, central nervous system disorders, etc. Ginsenosides, the largest and most prominent compounds in Ginseng, are responsible for the known health effects of Ginseng plant. The present study aimed to produce a functional beverage and evaluate the quality characteristics of this health beverage. The effects of adding red Ginseng extract at different levels (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 g L^-1) on pH, titratable acidity, color values, the viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis and overall acceptability of probiotic Doogh containing mint powder (1 g L^-1) were investigated during 21-day storage at 4°C. The results showed that with increasing the level of red Ginseng extract up to 2 g L^-1, no significant difference was observed in the pH and titratable acidity of probiotic Doogh samples (P 0.05); color values of the Doogh samples changed significantly (P 0.05); viability of the probiotic bacteria increased significantly (P 0.05); and the overall acceptability decreased significantly (P 0.05). In general, Doogh sample containing 1 g L^-1 red Ginseng extract gained the highest overall acceptability score in comparison with the other samples.