Effects of palm sugar concentration on fermentation characteristics and probiotic properties of soy milk-based beverages

Abstract

The increasing demand for functional beverages derived from plant-based ingredients has
encouraged the development of probiotic soy milk products with improved sensory and
nutritional qualities. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of palm sugar concentration
on the characteristics of probiotic soy milk beverages. The method use in this study was a
completely randomized design (CRD) with four treatments and three replications was applied.
The treatments consisted of palm sugar additions at 0% (P1), 4% (P2), 8% (P3), and 12% (P4).
The observed parameters included sensory quality, total soluble solids (TSS), and protein
content. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Duncan’s multiple
range test (DMRT) at a 5% significance level. The results demonstrated that palm sugar
concentration significantly influenced the sensory characteristics and total soluble solids (TSS)
of probiotic soy milk beverages, whereas no significant effect was observed on protein content.
The highest aroma preference score was recorded in the 8% palm sugar treatment (4.00), while
the highest taste preference score was observed in the 12% treatment (3.60). Total soluble solids
increased from 0.83° Brix in the control treatment to 6.56° Brix with 12% palm sugar addition,
whereas protein content remained relatively stable, ranging from 3.05% to 3.10%. These
findings indicate that palm sugar supplementation enhanced the sensory acceptability and TSS
of probiotic soy milk beverages without significantly altering protein content. The conclusion is,
based on sensory evaluation, the formulation containing 8% palm sugar was identified as the
optimal treatment.