Abstract
Functional beverages obtained using medicinal plants and fermented with lactic acid bacteria are gaining much interest from the scientific community, driven by the growing demand for food and beverages with beneficial properties. In this work, three different batches of medicinal plants and organic sugarcane molasses, named FB-lc, FB-sp and FB-lcsp, were prepared and fermented by using Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 43121, Bifidobacterium breve B632 and a mix of both strains’ culture, respectively. The three fermented beverages revealed a high level of polyphenols (expressed as gallic acid equivalent), ranging from 182.50 to 315.62 µg/mL. The highest content of flavonoids (152.13 µg quercetin equivalent/mL) and tannins (93.602 µg catechin equivalent/mL) was detected in FB-lcsp trial. The IR spectroscopy analysis showed a decrease in sugar (pyranose forms, D-glucopyranose and rhamnosides). In addition, the aromatic compounds of the fermented beverages, detected by GC-MS headspace analysis, showed twenty-four interesting volatile compounds, which could give positive aroma attributes to the flavor of the beverages. The highest antioxidant activity was observed in the beverage obtained by the mix culture strains. Accordingly, the production of these beverages can be further investigated for considering their well-being effects on human health.
Highlights
Since ancient times, medicinal plants have been used for human well-being as they are a source of healthy metabolic compounds
This study aims to explore the effect of single and mixed culture of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, previously indicated as candidate probiotics, for the production of functional beverages starting with plants and organic sugarcane molasses as the raw material
Medicinal plants and organic sugarcane molasses were tested as raw materials to produce functional beverages via lactic fermentation
Summary
Medicinal plants have been used for human well-being as they are a source of healthy metabolic compounds. They still are widely used for the production of food, medicines and fuel. The improvement of the biological properties of plants, vegetables and herbs can be achieved through fermentation technology, which can transform complex substrates and change the quantity of some bioactive compounds [1]. Selected microorganisms are widely applied to obtain fermented foods and beverages. Applying selected microbial cultures to suitable raw materials, the fermentation process can be modulated, enhancing the content of bioactive metabolites and other compounds with antioxidant activity [7,8,9,10]. Since the production of specific metabolites is a strain-specific trait, the choice of microorganisms for the intended use is fundamental to obtain fermented products with enhanced properties [11,12,13]
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