Fermented grain-based beverages as probiotic vehicles and their potential antioxidant and antidiabetic properties

Abstract

This work aimed to determine the most adequate combinations of germinated or non-germinated grains (lentils, brown rice, and sorghum) as substrates for fermentation by Saccharomyces boulardii with the goal of producing functional beverages as probiotic carriers. Additionally, the antioxidant and antidiabetic potentials of the beverages were investigated. The binary mixture of lentils (50%) and brown rice (50%) proved to be the most favorable combination for S. boulardii growth, achieving 10.01 and 12.36 log CFU mL−1 for fermented beverages obtained using non-germinated and germinated grains, respectively. This combination also yielded products with superior antioxidant properties, measuring 470.85, 1286.50 and 370.27 μmol TE mL−1 for DPPH, ABTS and FRAP, respectively, for fermented beverages produced from the non-germinated grains. Concerning antidiabetic properties, fermented beverages produced using non-germinated grains of brown rice, sorghum and the mixture of lentil and brown rice in equal proportions deserve special mention, as they reduced α-amylase activity by 74.67, 59.25 and 51.23%, respectively, compared to their respective non-fermented samples. In conclusion, fermentation with S. boulardii using different grains as substrates proved to be an excellent strategy for obtaining beverages with improved antioxidant and antidiabetic properties, as well as serving as effective carriers for probiotic microorganisms.