Development of a Non-Dairy Probiotic Sweet Potato-Based Frozen Desert

How, Han Xian (2025) Development of a Non-Dairy Probiotic Sweet Potato-Based Frozen Desert. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

The growing demand for sustainable and plant-based alternatives has driven innovation in non-dairy frozen dessert. Sweet potato, rich in bioactive compounds and dietary fiber, shows potential as a substrate for probiotic strain while offering additional functional benefits such as lower glycemic index. This study aimed to develop a non-dairy probiotic frozen dessert using purple sweet potato and evaluate its nutritional composition, physicochemical properties, microbial viability and sensory acceptance with a 40% dairybased control. Formulations were prepared with 20%, 40% and 60% sweet potato puree and compared with a 40% dairy-based sample. Proximate analysis showed that sweet potatobased samples had higher crude fiber (0.72-1.92%) and lower fat content (approximately 4.9%) compared to the dairy control (17.7%). The 60% sweet potato formulation showed the highest alpha amylase inhibitory activity (82.47%), while the dairy control showed the lowest (4.45%). Viability of Lactobacillus plantarum was significantly affected by fermentation and freezing process. At the same time, higher sweet potato levels associated with reduced viability (9.00×106, 5.25×106 and 2.15×106 CFU/mL in 20%, 40% and 60% sweet potato sample respectively). The melting rate was slower in sweet potato sample (0.44-0.63 g/min) than in dairy control (0.79 g/min). Overrun was increased proportionally with sweet potato content (10.73%-26.67% in 20%-60% sweet potato content). Sensory evaluation (n=34) indicated no significant differences in appearance, texture or overall acceptability between 40% sweet potato and dairy based formulation, while the 60% sweet potato sample showed the highest preference among sweet potato samples. Overall, probiotic sweet potato-based frozen dessert demonstrated promising nutritional and potential functional properties and it had similar sensory acceptance compared to the dairy-based sample.