Chemical and antioxidant properties of two non-dairy probiotic drinks produced from tigernut (Cyperus esculentus) and soybean (Glycine max)

Abstract

Probiotic drinks have become more popular and the desire for new flavours among consumers necessitates the development and production of improved probiotic drinks. In the present study, the reducing sugar, mineral content, antinutritional and antioxidant properties of non-dairy probiotic drinks produced from tigernut milk and soy milk were investigated. Probitication of the non-dairy milk results in the reduction of reducing sugars and antinutrient contents of the drinks. Probioticated tigernut milk sample (T2) has the least reducing sugar content (4.63%), while the highest was found in soy milk sample S2 (4.81%). However, there were significant increases in the mineral content and antioxidant properties of the probioticated non-dairy drinks compared to the non probioticated nondairydrinks. The ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), DPPH, and Fe2+ chelation activities of probioticated tigernut milk increased from 0.5% extract to 0.84% extract, 73.18% to 91.70% and 36.30% to 39.02% in samples T12, T2 and T1, respectively. The same increase was also observed in the probioticated soy milk compared with the unprobioticated. Results from this study revealed that probiotication enhances the mineral content and antioxidative capacity of milk from soybean and tigernut.