Production of a functional confectionary cream containing licorice root extract and double coated Lactobacillus plantarum by alginate and malva mucilage

Abstract

Due to the increasing interest in the healthy foods, in this research, a dietary and functional confectionary cream (DFCC) was produced having licorice powder and encapsulated Lactobacillus plantarum probiotic bacteria. Licorice extract (LE) had a total phenolic content of 1.97 mg/mL, composed mainly of 7 phenolic, flavonoid, and quercetin compounds including gentisic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, luteolin, apigenin, and sinapic acid at the same concentration (20 µg/mL). Incorporation of LE and malva mucilage (MM) resulted in the improvement of physicochemical properties (pH, overrun, syneresis, and texture) of DFCC. The viability of encapsulated probiotics was higher (compared to the free probiotics) in the functional product during 60 days of storage. Sensory evaluation results displayed that the elevated rates of LE (15 %), and MM (15 %) were not favorably accepted by the panelists; however, favorable scores were given to the samples having 10 % LE, 10% MM, and microcapsules.