Usually higher acidity stimulates the whey
separation in yogurts (Tamime and Robinson, 1999).
Although rice yogurts demonstrated higher acidity,
less whey separation or higher WHC in rice yogurt
compared to plain yogurt was observed during the
storage in the present study. This may be probably
due to high total solids (Remeuf et al., 2003) and
fiber content in the rice yogurt (Table 1) which could
have strengthened the yogurt gel structure in rice
yogurts and thereby making less susceptible to loose
whey under centrifugal force. Fiber components
can improve the texture, gelling, thickening and
stabilizing properties in food products (Abdul-
Hamid, 2000). Furthermore, Shori et al. (2014) have
suggested that exopolysaccharides produced by
bacteria in the yogurts, which act as hydrocolloids
help to increase WHC in yogurts. B. animalis subsp.