Evaluation Of the Effectiveness of Selected Stabilizers in Improving the Quality of Whey-Based Fruit Beverages

Abstract

The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of selected stabilizers in improving the quality and storage stability of a whey-based fruit beverage. Clarified paneer whey blended with mango pulp was used as the beverage base, and four stabilizers, namely pectin, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), guar gum, and xanthan gum, were incorporated at optimized concentrations. The beverages were evaluated for physicochemical properties, serum separation, viscosity, sensory characteristics, and microbiological quality during refrigerated storage (4±1°C) for 21 days. Significant (P<0.05) differences were observed among treatments for viscosity, sedimentation index, cloud stability, and sensory scores. The beverage containing pectin at 0.20% exhibited the lowest serum separation (2.14%), highest cloud stability (97.86%), and superior overall acceptability score (8.72±0.08). The results demonstrated that appropriate stabilizer selection significantly enhances the quality and shelf life of whey-based fruit beverages.