Developing Indigenous Plant‐Enriched Yogurt to Enhance Iron Solubility—A Collaboration With Senegalese Women Farmers

This study utilized collaborations with Senegalese women farmers to investigate the impact of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation of sorghum, baobab, and milk on nutritional and sensory qualities for plant-enriched yogurt. Using a simplex lattice mixture design, five samples of varying weight ratios of sorghum/baobab (17.5/32.5-47.5/2.5, w.b.) were prepared by mixing sorghum/baobab blend (50 g, w.b.), milk (500 mL), Lactobacillus bulgaricus species and Streptococcus thermophilus species, and fermenting at 40°C for 9 h. After only fermenting milk, one Control was prepared by adding sorghum/baobab (32.5/17.5). The samples were evaluated for pH, texture, LAB count, and iron solubility after simulated digestion. A total of 125 panelists, including 32 Africans, evaluated the samples flavored with bananas after fermentation, using a nine-point hedonic scale and check-all-that-apply (CATA) method. Data were analyzed using variance analysis, least significant difference test, agglomerative hierarchical clustering, and Fisher's exact test. All samples had a pH below 4.6 and a LAB count of 10⁸, except for sample 17.5/32.5 (10⁴), likely due to baobab's acidity hindering LAB growth. Fermenting sorghum, baobab, and milk together increased iron solubility by 64.1% compared to the Control. From the CATA results, sweet flavor and creamy mouthfeel increased overall liking, while tart flavor and gritty mouthfeel decreased liking. Cluster analysis showed that Africans favored samples with both less and more baobab equally (40/10, 25/25, overall liking of 6.8), while Caucasians preferred less baobab (40/10, overall liking of 4.8). Both clusters disfavored the Control (overall liking 6.0 and 4.1), which had the lowest instrumental texture consistency.