Abstract
This study aimed at determining the survivability of probiotic bacteria cultures in model non-dairy beverages subjected or not to the fermentation and storage processes, representing milk substitutes. The experimental material included milks produced from desiccated coconut and non-dehulled seeds of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). The plant milks were subjected to chemical and microbiological evaluation immediately after preparation as well as on day 7, 14, and 21 of their cold storage. Study results proved that the produced and modified plant non-dairy beverages could be the matrix for probiotic bacteria. The fermentation process contributed to increased survivability of Lactobacillus casei subsp. rhamnosus in both coconut and hemp milk. During 21-day storage of inoculated milk substitutes, the best survivability of Lactobacillus casei was determined in the fermented coconut milk. On day 21 of cold storage, the number of viable Lactobacillus casei cells in the fermented coconut and hemp milks ensured meeting the therapeutic criterion. Due to their nutritional composition and cell count of bacteria having a beneficial effect on the human body, the analyzed groceries—offering an alternative to milk—represent a category of novel food products and their manufacture will contribute to the sustainable development of food production and to food security assurance.
Highlights
Sustainable food production should be considered through the perspective of a better understanding of food security
Raw materials of plant origin need to be analyzed for the content of nutrients indispensable for probiotic bacteria metabolism, and for the effect of environment on their survivability [27,49]
The growth and survivability of probiotic bacteria in food products was determined by many factors including e.g., storage conditions, medium acidity, and sensitivity of oxygen and metabolites
Summary
Sustainable food production should be considered through the perspective of a better understanding of food security. A functional food definition covers certain strains of microorganisms being constituents of food of plant and animal origin that contain physiologically active compounds These compounds are beneficial for human health and help minimizing the risk of chronic diseases development [10]. Most of the study results reported in literature concern the feasibility of producing fermented soybean milk [13,14,15,16] This is related to the fact, that manufacture of high quality plant-based beverages containing probiotic bacteria poses a serious challenge [18,19]. This has been feasible owing to new varieties characterized by a low concentration of a psychoactive compound delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) [23] and to cultivations with the use of elite category sowing material [24]
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