Course:FNH200/Assignments/2024/Activia Yogurt vs Activia Yogurt Fat Free

Introduction

Activia is a probiotic yogurt designed to support digestive health. It also offers a fat free version for those who want to reduce fat intake while still enjoying the benefits of Activia.

ACTIVIA Yogurt (Vanilla)	ACTIVIA Yogurt (Vanilla 0%M.F.)
ACTIVIA Yogurt Ingredient List	ACTIVIA Yogurt (Vanilla 0%M.F.) Ingredient List
ACTIVIA Yogurt Nutrition Facts Table	ACTIVIA Yogurt (Vanilla 0%M.F.) Nutrition Facts Table

Ingredient lists

	ACTIVIA Yogurt	ACTIVIA Yogurt Fat Free
Ingredient List	Skim milk, Ultrafiltered milk, Cream, Sugars [sugar, caramel and fruit juice (for colour)], Water, Modified corn starch, Gelatin, Natural flavour, Active probiotic culture (Bifidobacterium lactis CNCM1-2494) and active bacterial cultures, Vitamin D3, Annatto (for colour), Malic acid. Made with vitamin D fortified skim milk.	Skim milk, Ultrafiltered milk, Water, Sugar, Modified corn starch, Gelatin, Natural flavour, Pectin, Active probiotic culture (Bifidobacterium lactis CNCM I-2494) and active bacterial cultures, Stevia extract, Locust bean gum, Sodium citrate, Malic acid, Calcium lactate, Vitamin A palmitate and vitamin D3. Made with vitamins A & D fortified skim milk.

Substitutes & Additives:

	ACTIVIA Yogurt (Vanilla)	ACTIVIA Yogurt (Vanilla, 0% M.F.)
Sugar Substitutes	None	Stevia Extract
Fat Substitutes	Gelatin	Gelatin Pectin Locust Bean Gum
Additives	Vitamin D3 Annatto Malic Acid	Sodium Citrate Malic Acid Calcium Lactate Vitamin A Palmitate Annatto

Roles of Substitutes and Additives:

Activia

Sugar substitute: None

Fat substitute:

● Gelatin: Often used to provide a creamy texture and mouthfeel similar to that of fat.

Additives:

● Vitamin D3: Usually added into dairy product to meet up dally vitamin D requirement.

● Annatto: A natural colorant used to give the product a specific color.

● Malic acid: Used as a flavoring agent and to adjust the acidity.

Activia Fat Free

Sugar Substitute:

●  Stevia Extract: This is a natural sweetener derived from the leaves of the Stevia plant, used as a substitute for sugar.

Fat Substitute:

● Gelatin: Often used to provide a creamy texture and mouthfeel similar to that of fat.

● Pectin: It is neither a chemical substitue for both whereas it is able to mimick the mouthfeel that fat provides.

● Locust bean gum: Another thickener that helps stabilize and provide a creamy mouthfeel.

● Modified corn starch: Acts as a thickener and stabilizer.

Additives:

● Sodium Citrate: Used as a preservative or to control acidity.

● Malic Acid: Used to enhance flavor and maintain pH.

● Calcium Lactate: Used as a food additive for calcium enrichment.

● Vitamin A Palmitate: Used to fortify foods with vitamin A.

● Annatto: A natural coloring agent.

Comparison:

Similarity: skim milk, ultrafiltered milk, water, sugar, modified corn starch, gelatin, natural flavor, vitamin D3, vitamin D fortified skim milk.

Difference: Original yogurt has Cream, Caramel and Fruit Juice, but 0% fat yogurt doesn't. 0% fat has Stevia Extract, Pectin, Locust bean gum, Sodium citrate, Calcium lactate and Vitamin A palmitate, but original yogurt doesn't.

To make the Activia yogurt fat free, the fat part is completely removed and replaced with various fat substitutes (gelatin, pectin, locust bean gum, ect.) to maintain a creamy texture. Additionally, Stevia Extract is used as a sugar substitute to provide more sweetness. Other additives, such as sodium citrate, calcium lactate, and vitamin A palmitate, are added to maintain the desired product qualities and nutritional level.

Labels

	Activia Probiotic Yogurt and Activia Probiotic Yogurt Fat Free
Bilingual	English and French for both products
Common name	Commonly known as Activia probiotic yogurt and Activia probiotic yogurt fat free
Net quantity	650g for both products
Name of the business	Activia
Ingredient list	Both product contains a ingredient list which can be seen in the introduction section
Nutrition label	Both products contains sugar, protein, sodium, potassium, iron, and vitamin D. In contrast, fat free yogurt contains vitamin A, less sugar, and doesn't contain any fat
Best before date	Aug 14, 2024 for the original yogurt, and Aug 6, 2024 for the fat free yogurt
Country of origin	Quebec, Canada
% milk fat	2.2% for the original yogurt, and 0% for the fat free yogurt
Irradiation	Products are not irradiated, so it is not shown on the labels
Flavour	Both products are vanilla flavour

As we learnt from lesson 4, the Canadian food label must be bilingual. Also, common name, net quantity, name of the business, ingredient list and nutrition label must be legible on the label. From the information we found in the table above, the labels of the products comply with the regulatory requirements.

References

This Food Science resource was created by Course:FNH200.