Study on Anti-oxidative Activities and Beverage Preferences Relating to Fermented Lotus Root and Platycodon grandiflorum Extracts with Sugar through Lactic Acid Fermentation

Abstract

This study aimed to produce fermented extracts with sugar made from lotus root (LR) and Platycodon grandiflorum (PG), using lactic acid fermentation, and confirmed their physiological and anti-oxidative activities as basic data for manufacturing functional drinks through sensory tests. For the final sugar concentrations, PG showed 48.1 °brix and LR showed 52.0 °brix. Sugar concentrations during lactic acid fermentation following dilution of sugar to 12 °brix, ranged from 11.5∼12.1 °brix for PG and 11.9∼12.4 °brix for LR. During lactic acid fermentation, lactic acid bacteria numbers tended to decrease in both fermented LR and PG extracts with sugar as the fermentation period increased. For DPPH radical scavenging ability, LR was three times higher in control without lactic acid fermentation while PG showed significant increases in L. acidophilus (77%), L. brevis (90%), and L. delbrueckii (177%) during lactic acid fermentation. For total polyphenol content, LR showed a higher concentration than PG, and except for fermented L. delbrueckii extract showing similarity with the control, contents of fermented extracts decreased. In the case of PG, CUPRAC, increased significantly in L. brevis, whereas FRAP, increased significantly in L. delbrueckii with lactic acid fermentation. For reducing power, except for fermentation with L. brevis, all PG showed lower reducing power activities. In the sensory test of fermented LR and PG extracts with sugar, both fermented extracts showed better results with L. brevis or L. delbrueckii than control or those with L. acidophilus in every item. Based on these results, it is highly possible to develop fermented extract drinks with sugar using LR or PG. In particular, lactic acid bacteria such as L. delbrueckii and L. brevis showed generally higher activities with potential as a functional drink.