QUALITY EVALUATION OF YOGHURT FROM DIFFERENT POWDERED MILK BRANDS SOLD IN WUDIL MARKET

This study evaluated the quality of yoghurt produced from three commercial powdered milk brands (Peak, Three Crowns and Kerrygold) and fresh cow milk using standard physicochemical, proximate and sensory analyses. Reconstituted milk from each brand was fermented under identical conditions to assess the influence of milk type on yoghurt characteristics. The physicochemical results showed significant (p < 0.05) variations among samples: pH values ranged from 4.32 to 4.56, titratable acidity from 0.00275% to 0.00725%, fermentation time from 5.0 to 6.1 hours, and total soluble solids from 17.60°Brix to 19.97°Brix. Three Crowns yoghurt exhibited the highest acidity and the shortest fermentation time, while fresh milk yoghurt showed the mildest acidity and the longest fermentation duration. Proximate composition also differed significantly. Moisture content ranged from 80.03% to 82.40%, fat from 4.33% to 7.79%, protein from 4.41% to 5.17%, and carbohydrate from 4.42% to 9.65%. The fresh cow milk yoghurt contained the highest fat content, whereas Three Crowns yoghurt recorded the highest protein and carbohydrate levels. Sensory evaluation revealed that all samples were generally acceptable, but Three Crowns yoghurt achieved superior scores in texture and overall acceptability, while fresh milk yoghurt exhibited the lowest texture rating.