Nowadays, functional food market is dominated by dairy-based probiotic products, mainly
yogurt. The nutritional values of yogurt can be further enhanced by the inclusion of miracle
fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) and potential probiotic Lactococcus lactis Gh1. The present
work investigated the anti-oxidative capacity and survivability of probiotic strains of six
yogurts fortified with S. dulcificum pulp extract and encapsulated L. lactis Gh1 (in
alginate-starch coating agent via extrusion technique). The flavonoid contents (TFC) were not
significantly different between yogurts, whereas the phenolic contents (TPC) showed an
increasing trend throughout the storage. Among the yogurts, the one supplemented with both
S. dulcificum and encapsulated L. lactis Gh1 showed the highest TFC (1.18 µg QE/mL) and
TPC (15.382 μg GAE/mL). The antioxidant assay (DPPH) showed a gradual increase on the
first 7 d, but decreased afterward. In comparison, yogurts fortified with S. dulcificum demonstrated higher antioxidant activity (± 80% DPPH inhibition) than the plain yogurts (± 50%
DPPH inhibition). The viability of starter cultures (Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus) drastically increased during the first week (log 8 ~ 10
CFU/mL) especially for yogurts containing free cell L. lactis, but subsequently decreased ( log
6 ~ 8 CFU/mL). The viability of L. lactis Gh1 in yogurts maintained at high count (log 9.43
and 9.04 CFU/mL) throughout 21 d when it was being encapsulated. In general, the fortification of S. dulcificum extract with microencapsulated L. lactis Gh1 had greatly enhanced the
quality and potential benefits of the functional yogurts.