Mixed fermentation of jujube juice (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) with L. rhamnosus GG and L. plantarum‐1: effects on the quality and stability

Abstract

SummaryThis study was conducted aiming at improving the quality of jujube juice by mixed fermentation of lactobacilli. Selection of favourable lactobacilli and addition of nitrogen sources were explored as an efficient method to improve the viability of probiotic in jujube juice. After fermentation, the viability increased to 9.15 ± 0.10 Log CFU mL−1, while the content of lactic acid increased to 5.61 ± 0.03 mg mL−1. The total phenolic and total flavonoid content were 2663.03 ± 11.95 μg mL−1 and 163.95 ± 0.47 μg mL−1 respectively. Moreover, the stability of fermented jujube juice during refrigeration was investigated, which showed that the viability dropped to 8.84 ± 0.6 Log CFU mL−1 and the concentration of lactic acid slowly increased to 6.51 ± 0.04 mg mL−1; the ABTS value showed a 4.26% reduction and FRAP value did not significantly (P < 0.05) change during refrigerated storage. In addition to the existing knowledge, our data aid to the future applications of the jujube as a potential ingredient in novel probiotic foods formulation.