Oat-based Symbiotic Beverage Fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. casei, and Lactobacillus acidophilus

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Oats and probiotics have long been recognized for their health benefits. The objectives of this study were (1) to study the ability of Lactobacillus plantarum (B-28), Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. casei (B-29) isolated from a traditional Bulgarian cereal-based fermented beverage, and Lactobacillus acidophilus from Chr. Hansen, Milwaukee, Wis., U.S.A., to remove cholesterol from the media and to adhere to the Caco-2 cell line, (2) to optimize the fermentation conditions to develop a beverage using these probiotics and oats with acceptable sensory and nutritional qualities, and (3) to assess the quality and shelf-life of this beverage and survivability of probiotics in the beverage. Lactobacillus acidophilus, B-28, and B-29 were found to remove 70.67%± 2.35%, 20.26%± 2.63%, and 16.75%± 3.83% of cholesterol from media and the percentage of adhesion was 4.69%± 0.78%, 1.92%± 0.78%, and 8.36%± 0.78%, respectively. The blend of oat flour, sugar, inulin, and whey protein concentrate was cooked in water and fermented for 12 h at 37°C by 2 ± 106 colony-forming units (CFU) /mL each of B-28 and B-29 and 2 ± 108 CFU/mL of L. acidophilus. The beverage had 0.87%± 0.03% of dietary fiber and had better sensory qualities compared with the commercially available similar product. The probiotics survived for 10 wk of storage at 4°C, except for L. acidophilus, which survived for about 4 wk. The population of B-28 was 1.77 ± 106 to 1.29 ± 107 CFU/mL and that of B-29 was 7.39 ± 107 to 4.49 ± 108 CFU/mL throughout the storage period. The oat-based symbiotic beverage is a functional drink providing both probiotics and prebiotics at the same time.