The poor gel property of plant proteins and phase separation restrict plant-based yogurt products. In this study, anionic colloids were evaluated for walnut yogurt production, and sodium alginate (SA) or xanthan gum (XG) greatly improved the overall quality of walnut yogurt. The incorporation of SA or XG at low concentrations (0.5–0.6%) effectively promoted fermentation and significantly increased the total phenolic content in walnut yogurt 1.47 and 1.23 times, respectively, compared to the control group. Concurrently, the water-holding capacity increased approximately 3 times. Both gums also improved the textural and rheological properties of the yogurt, notably increasing the hardness and chewiness. Sensory analysis confirmed that yogurts containing 0.5–0.6% SA or XG received higher overall sensory scores. Notably, SA incorporation could promote the formation of a dense network structure in walnut yogurt, while the XG incorporation could improve for the fermentation process of the yogurts. • Sodium alginate (SA) and xanthan gum (XG) improved walnut yogurt qualities. • Adding 0.5–0.6% SA or XG effectively promoted gel forming of walnut yogurt. • Both gums resulted in a denser and more uniform network structure of yogurt. • SA is more conducive to promoting yogurts to form a dense network structure. • XG incorporation is beneficial for the fermentation process of the yogurts.
Huang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.