Stability and flavor of set yogurt fortified with Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide during cold storage

Tremella fuciformis is an edible and medicinal fungus containing excellent nutritional value. T. fuciformis polysaccharide (TFP) is the important bioactive ingredients of T. fuciformis, which has gained great attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of TFP on the stability and flavor of set yogurt. Our results revealed that the addition of 0.1% TFP had a positive effect on improving the stability of set yogurt including the water holding capacity, texture, rheological properties and microstructure at the cold storage period of 1, 7, 14 and 21 days. It is remarkable that the hardness, gumminess and chewiness of the set yogurt were significantly improved by the addition of TFP during the cold storage. Moreover, the set yogurt containing TFP was able to maintain better stability in the three intervals thixotropy test. In particular, the addition of 0.1% TFP had no adverse effects on the flavor of set yogurt, including sourness, sweetness, umami, bitterness, richness and saltiness. These data suggested that TFP can be used as a natural potential stabilizer for the set yogurt.