Probiotic Fermentation and Organic Acid Profile in Milk Based Lactic Beverages Containing Potential Prebiotic Apple Constituents

Abstract

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the viability of probiotic bacteria in a fermented milk beverage fortified with apple juice and to understand the utilization of apple juice as a prebiotic source. The results indicated that the probiotic bacteria used in this study were viable over the predicted shelf life, and the cell counts ranged from 7.48 to 12.00 log10 cfu mL-1, since in order to confer the beneficial health effects on the host the probiotic bacteria must be at a minimum concentration of 6.0 log10 cfu mL-1 at the moment of consumption. However, Lactobacillus casei exhibited higher survival than all the other strains, possibly due to its higher tolerance to low acidity. During fermentation and storage of probiocated milk beverage fortified with apple juice the formation of organic acids were determined as an indirect characteristic of the LAB growth. Lactic, acetic, malic, tartaric and citric acids were the main organic acids, and the amount of propionic and butyric acids as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) mostly increased during fermentation, depending on the strain.