Nutrition and stability enhancement of yoghurt fortified with encapsulated algae oil through vortex fluidic device

The main challenges to maximising the health benefits of algae oil are improving bioavailability and minimising oxidation while raising consumer acceptance. Processing with a continuous flow thin film vortex fluidic device (VFD) significantly improves Tween 20 encapsulation by comparison with conventional homogenisation processing. Observed through emulsion stability, scanning electron microscope, epi-fluorescence microscopy, dynamic light scattering, peroxide value, confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, algae oil particles were remarkably smaller, ∼250 nm versus ∼2.3 μm, and improved emulsion stability from 10.4 ± 1.3% to 55.4 ± 3.2%. Shown by significantly reduced peroxide value from ∼7 m_eq O₂/Kg to less than 1 m_eq O₂/Kg, oxidation of algae oil was drastically reduced by VFD encapsulation. The different microstructures of original yoghurt, yoghurt with raw algae oil and VFD-encapsulated algae oil were comprehensively studied by confocal microscope and scanning electron microscope. The VFD mediated encapsulated algae oil enriched yoghurt stability with more incorporated microstructure among different components. Sensory properties with higher overall acceptance in categories of taste (7.2 ± 0.32 versus 5.8 ± 0.23) and texture (7.1 ± 0.22 versus 5.3 ± 0.30) is reflected in sensory scores, with a smoother micro-structure of the freeze-dried yoghurt resulting in a more pleasant mouth feel, faster flavor exposure, and a creamier texture.