Fermentation of Cauliflower and White Beans with Lactobacillus plantarum \u2013 Impact on Levels of Riboflavin, Folate, Vitamin B12, and Amino Acid Composition

H O Thompson,G Önning,H S Strandler,K Holmgren,M Hultberg

doi:10.1007/s11130-020-00806-2

Abstract

As diets change in response to ethical, environmental, and health concerns surrounding meat consumption, fermentation has potential to improve the taste and nutritional qualities of plant-based foods. In this study, cauliflower, white beans, and a 50:50 cauliflower-white bean mixture were fermented using different strains of Lactobacillus plantarum. In all treatments containing cauliflower, the pH was reduced to <4 after 18 h, while treatments containing only white beans had an average pH of 4.8 after 18 h. Following fermentation, the riboflavin, folate, and vitamin B12 content of the cauliflower-white bean mixture was measured, and compared against that of an unfermented control. The riboflavin and folate content of the mixture increased significantly after fermentation. Relative to control samples, riboflavin increased by 76–113%, to 91.6 ± 0.6 μg/100 g fresh weight, and folate increased by 32–60%, to 58.8 ± 2.0 μg/100 g fresh weight. For one bacterial strain, L. plantarum 299, a significant 66% increase in vitamin B12 was observed, although the final amount (0.048 ± 0.013 μg/100 g fresh weight) was only a small fraction of recommended daily intake. Measurements of amino acid composition in the mixture revealed small increases in alanine, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, and valine in the fermented sample compared to the unfermented control.

Highlights

Recent research has highlighted good potential of a change in diet in helping to resolve global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity [1]
All samples were analyzed for total protein and vitamin content, while analyses of amino acid composition were performed on the control samples of cauliflower-white bean mixture and the samples fermented with L. plantarum 299
No distinguishable difference in taste could be detected in the mixture fermented with the different bacterial strains and, based on the significant increase in vitamin B12 level, the vegetable mixture fermented with strain L. plantarum 299 was chosen for analysis of amino acid composition

Summary

Introduction

Recent research has highlighted good potential of a change in diet in helping to resolve global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity [1]. Four strains of L. plantarum were used and the effects of fermentation on levels of important nutritional parameters such as amino acid composition and riboflavin, folate, and vitamin B12 content were studied. The ability of the included strains to ferment vegetables and produce riboflavin, folate and vitamin B12 have not been investigated before.

Results

Conclusion