Effect of potential prebiotics from selected fruits peel on the growth of probiotics

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the potential prebiotic compounds of yellow watermelon, honeydew, and papaya peels by studying their effects on probiotics namely Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Comparing three peel higher growth for L. rhamnosus and B. bifidum bacteria found from watermelon and honeydew which are 9.90 and 9.82 (log CFU/g dry extract) after 48 hr. Yellow watermelon peel extract also showed significantly higher amounts of indigestible polysaccharides (104.50 mg/g) than the other two peels. Glucose and fructose were the major reducing sugar present with a total of 340.34, 465.25, and 212.25 mg/g of dry peel extracts from yellow watermelon, honeydew and papaya respectively. Honeydew and yellow watermelon peel extract showed the highest hydrolysis of 13.80% and 13.68% and 11.27% and 10.53% to artificial human gastric juice and α-amylase digestion, respectively. The results indicated that among three fruit peels yellow watermelon peel shows high prebiotic potentiality. Practical applications This study found fruit peels contain a reasonably high amount of potential prebiotic compounds. The polysaccharide extracts of the peel showed a significant effect in stimulating the growth of L. rhamnosus and B. bifidum compared with the controlled study within 48 hr, where polysaccharide extract of yellow watermelon peel proving the most effective because it was able to significantly increase the probiotic bacteria count within 24 hr. In brief, yellow watermelon peel possessed the best prebiotic potential due to its high yield, quick effect in stimulating the growth of probiotic bacteria, high amount of reducing sugar, and indigestible non-starch polysaccharide while also resist digestion by gastric juice and α-amylase.