Development of a non-dairy probiotic beverage based on sorrel and pineapple juices using Lacticaseibacillus paracasei 62L

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, has lead to increase in the demand of functional foods and beverages as it prevent and enhance the health of the consumers. However, the formulation of probiotic foods are poorly promoted in low-income countries, as the later require appreciated and affordable food matrices for its survival. Hence this study aimed to formulate a safe probiotic beverage from sorrel and pineapple mixed juice using Lacticaseibacillus paracasei 62L strain. The mixture of pasteurised sorrel and pineapple juices was prepared in the proportions 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40 and 50:50 (v/v) and the most preferred formulation was selected following a hedonic test. The most preferred juice inoculated with L. paracasei 62L (≈10 log cfu/ml) was divided into two batches and stored at 30 °C and 4 °C for 30 days and viability was determined every 3 days. In addition, the physicochemical parameters, approximate chemical composition, DPPH° scavenging activity and sensory evaluation were assessed. It resulted that, the 50:50 formula was the most appreciated by the panelists. In the latter, the concentration of viable cells slightly decreased (9.84–9.25 log cfu/ml) at 30 °C, whereas the decrease was significant (9.84–4.47 log cfu/ml) at 4 °C. Concerning the pH, reducing sugars, carbohydrate and vitamin C content, they decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in formulated juice except for samples stored at 4 °C. Also, the fibre, lipid and protein contents increased significantly, after 30 days. All samples showed DPPH° scavenging activity with the most effective EC50 recorded with the inoculated sorrel + pineaple juice stored at 4 °C on day 24 (27.81 ± 2.01 μg/ml). Furthermore, no significant differences (p ≥ 0.05) were observed in texture and overall impression. Therefore, the formulation sorrel + pineapple juice (50:50), constitutes a promising carrier to promote the consumption of probiotics such as L. paracasei 62L.