Yoghurt sauces are considered fatty products which are quite susceptible to oxidation and must be stabilised using antioxidants. Novel formulations for yoghurt sauces often involve replacement of fat with dietary fibres and use of natural preservatives. The aim of the present research was to design healthier formulations for yoghurt sauces based on the replacement of sunflower oil (SO) with chicory inulin (IN) and the use of rosemary extracts (RE) as natural antioxidants. Different sauces were developed by adding IN at 2 and 5% w: w and/or 300 mg/kg lipo- and/or water-soluble rosemary extracts (RLE and/or RWE) containing 120 and 146 mg polyphenols per g extract, respectively. Nutritional value (proximate composition and caloric contribution), some physical properties (pH and CIELab colour) and antioxidant status (deoxyribose, DPPH radical scavenging, Rancimat, lipid peroxidation and linoleic acid assays) were assessed in the sauces. Replacement of SO with IN (5%) reduced fat content by 30%, roughly 15% low calories, thereby obtaining healthier sauces. As expected, the RLE was more effective than the RWE in improving antioxidant activity in lipidic environment. Using RLE enhanced the antioxidant capacity of lipid peroxidation by 44%. In the Rancimat test, this increased the oxidative protection of the sauce made with and without IN (5%) by around 20% or 45%, respectively. Similarly, using RLE doubled protection against linoleic acid oxidation. Application of IN in yoghurt sauce has nutritional (replacement of lipids with dietary fibre) and technological interest (foaming agent) and can be combined with RE of high polyphenol content as a potential functional ingredient capable of stabilising the sauces against oxidation.
Keywords: antioxidant; inulin; polyphenol; rosemary extract; yoghurt sauce.