The dissertation is devoted to the improvement of drinking yogurt technology through the development of formulations using natural sweeteners and structuring starch products, as well as the refinement of technological parameters for producing new product types. The analysis of scientific and technical information revealed the main challenges in forming the consumer characteristics of low-fat drinking yogurt and identified promising ways to address them. Among the functional, technological, and flavor-aromatic ingredients, products of enzymatic hydrolysis of corn starch were selected to purposefully form the necessary product properties. The functions of starch products in yogurt were studied, and the effectiveness of using maltodextrins and glucose syrup with medium and low dextrose equivalents was proven. It was found that applying these ingredients in the amount of 9% (dry matter basis) to replace an equivalent content of sugar and skimmed milk powder maintains the quality of the final product while ensuring the balance of skimmed milk solids. The technological advantage of using dry starch hydrolysates over liquid syrups was established, particularly in terms of forming rheological properties typical of highquality fermented beverages. A lower dextrose equivalent increased the yogurt’s structuring and moisture-retaining capacity. The presence of dextrins in these products improved the self-restoration ability of the yogurt’s structure when produced using the tank method. A correlation was found between the degree of enzymatic starch hydrolysis and its influence on water activity and the fermentation dynamics of milk by Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus. This effect increased with a higher dextrose equivalent: from 10–20 for maltodextrins to 40 for glucose syrup and up to 98 for glucose-fructose syrup. It was shown that in the first 7 days of storage, cell activity increases with a high dextrose equivalent, but by day 14, the values level out. With extended storage (up to 28 days), maltodextrin best supports the viability of lactic acid bacteria. The impact of homogenization was evaluated: exceeding the recommended pressure and temperature decreased the functional properties of starch products due to the probable destruction of fermented starch macromolecules. Given the high energy consumption and low efficiency of this operation, homogenization was excluded from the production scheme.Regulatory requirements for the composition of yogurt with fillers were clarified. The minimum content of skimmed milk solids (SMS) must be 8,2–8,6%, including at least 2,7–2,8% protein. It was shown that using 0,32–0,77% dry demineralized whey in combination with 9% maltodextrin or glucose syrup provides the necessary SMS content without adversely affecting organoleptic or physicochemical characteristics. The protein content of such yogurt reached 2,91–2,99%. Based on the basic formulations, new types of fermented beverages with enhanced nutritional value were developed — with the addition of chicory extract (0,8%) and tahini sesame paste (3,0%). Microstructural analysis, along with organoleptic, physicochemical, and microbiological evaluations, confirmed the high quality and potential of these new products. A principal technological and process flowchart was developed for producing the new types of drinking yogurt with starch products. The development was formalized in the regulatory document TS U 10.5-02070938-327:2024 «Low-fat
drinking yogurts with starch-based products». Industrial testing was carried out at private enterprise «Dzhuvaldis» (Khmelnitsky region), and the technology was also integrated into the educational process of the Department of Milk and Dairy Products Technology at the National University of Food Technologies (NUFT). Economic calculations confirmed the feasibility of implementing the proposed technology. The social effect lies in expanding the range of yogurts made exclusively from natural raw materials, saving animal-derived resources, and shortening the production cycle duration. The reliability of the obtained results was
ensured by using modern research methods, appropriate equipment, and mathematical data analysis. The scientific findings were validated by studies conducted in the laboratories of NUFT.
