*2.5. Physicochemical Analysis*

The pH of yoghurt samples was measured using a pH meter (AMEL 338, Amel Instruments, Milano, Italy) whereas their titratable acidity (expressed as % lactic acid) was determined according to the International Dairy Federation (IDF) method [18].

The water holding capacity (WHC) of yoghurts was expressed as the grams of separated whey from 10 g of sample after centrifugation at 10.000 rpm (5.712 *g*) and 20 ◦C for 20 min [19].

The total color (E) of the samples were determined by measurement of CIELab values (L-value: lightness, a-value: redness/greenness, b-value: yellowness/blueness), using a CR200-Minolta Chromameter (Minolta Co., Chuo-Ku, Osaka, Japan) with an 8 mm measuring area, according to the equation:

$$E = \sqrt{L^2 + a^2 + b^2} \tag{1}$$

The instrument was standardized using a white reference tile (Minolta Co., Chuo-Ku, Osaka, Japan). All measurements were carried out in triplicate.
