Enhancement of yogurt functionality by adding Mentha piprita phenolic extract and evaluation of its quality during cold storage

New functional food products with health benefits are currently in high demand among health-conscious consumers. The present research aims to improve the func-tional properties of yogurt by adding peppermint hydroethanolic extract (PHE) at dif-ferent doses. The impact of PHE (0%, 2%, 4%, and 6%) on yogurt was studied for acidity, pH, organoleptic quality, antioxidant activity, lipid peroxidation, and fatty acid profile. The results revealed that PHE is rich in phenolic compounds, of which ros-marinic acid was the main one (339.88 mg/g lyophilized extract) and has considerable antioxidant potential, which remarkably (p< .01) increased antioxidant capacity in yo-gurt by over 39.51%, even at a low dose of 2%, giving the product better protection against lipid peroxidation and preserving its physicochemical and sensory quality. At 4%, PHE increased significantly (p< .01) the content of omega-3 fatty acids, nota-bly alpha- linolenic acid, in fortified yogurt compared with the control, and reduced (p< .01) the ratio of omega-6/omega-3, which dropped from 5.21 to 4.11. It looks feasible to prepare a yogurt with health- giving properties by adding Mentha piperitahydroethanolic extract at a concentration of up to 4% as an alternative to synthetic antioxidants, which would also extend its shelf life.