Evaluation of quality attributes and in vitro characteristics of synbiotic legume-based beverage during storage

Abstract

The research examined the impact of various storage temperatures and packaging materials on the physicochemical, microbial, and sensory properties of synbiotic legume-based beverage, thus estimating its shelf life. The developed synbiotic kidney-mung bean beverage (SKM) was packed in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Al-wrapped polypropylene (PP) bottles and stored at 5, 15, and 25 °C. A drop in pH from 6.3 to 4.3 and total viable count (TVC) of probiotic Lacticaseibacillus casei was observed by the end, though the acceptable limit of 107 CFU/mL was maintained. The color change, the viability of probiotics under simulated gastric acid (VHCl) and bile (VBile), and microbial load (aerobic mesophiles and yeast & molds) also depicted an overall decrease at different storage temperatures, irrespective of the packaging material. The beverage bottled in Al-wrapped PP showed slightly better prebiotic activity score (0.13–0.17), and sensory acceptance (5.83 out of 9) than PET bottles, though the difference was not significant (p > 0.05). The peptide and polyphenolic compounds identified in SKM beverage after fermentation included phenylalanine, tryptophan, malic acid, citric acid, pipecolic acid, coumarandione, and vitexin. Finally, the shelf life of SKM beverage was obtained as 25, 60, and 65 days at 25, 15, and 5 °C, respectively, for both packaging materials. Therefore, a longer shelf-life of SKM beverage at refrigerated temperature (15 °C) makes it a suitable matrix for probiotic delivery when packaged in Al-wrapped PP bottles. Such a product encompasses added benefits from legumes which altogether can serve as a potential non-dairy vegan drink.