​Health-promoting Effects of Developed Probiotic Orange Beverage: An in vitro Study

Background: Probiotic food has evolved as the new trend among the health fanatics because of their proven benefits in preventing many diseases. With change in time the way of consuming probiotics has also changed. Unlike past dairy is not the only option for commercial probiotic production, recently fruit juices have become the popular choice for it. So the current study aimed to assess the feasibility of orange juice (Citrus reticulate) as a potential probiotic carrier for the production of probiotic orange juice with lactic acid bacteria. Methods: Three test samples (TS) were developed with different combination of lactic acid probiotic bacteria viz. test sample 1 (TS1) (L. bulgaricus and L. casei), TS2 (L. bulgaricus, L. casei and L. gasseri) and TS3 (L. bulgaricus, L. casei, L. gasseri and L. fermentum). The orange juice was pasteurized for 2 min at 90°C and was inoculated at a rate of 10% inoculum. All the test samples were fermented for 4 hrs at 37°C and the physicochemical and nutritional characteristics were evaluated along with their in vitro hypocholesterolemic and in vitro hypoglycemic efficacies. Result: The probiotic orange test samples did not show inferior properties than the control in terms of physicochemical and nutritional properties. The bacterial count was decreased with time but remained above standard limit (107cfu/100ml) until 28th day of refrigerated storage. All the test samples showed promising antioxidant activity, in vitro hypocholesterolemic activity and in vitro hypoglycemic activities. Hence orange juice could be used as a suitable probiotic carrier for production of novel probiotic beverages.

CARACTERIZAÇÃO DE KEFIR DE LEITE QUANTO À COMPOSIÇÃO FÍSICO-QUÍMICA

Com o passar dos anos, a busca por alimentos que melhorem a qualidade de vida tem sido aumentada, como por exemplo, os alimentos funcionais. O kefir é um tipo de leite fermentado produzido através da fermentação do leite usando os grãos, sendo estes, massas gelatinosas de cor branca ou amarelada que contêm leveduras e/ou bactérias. É um alimento probiótico, pois contém microrganismos presentes benéficos ao ser humano e, se consumido numa quantidade de, no mínimo, 106UFC/100 mL ou gramas do produto pode auxiliar na prevenção ou correção de alguns problemas de saúde, sendo eles diabetes, desnutrição, obesidade, doenças cardiovasculares e outras doenças crônicas não transmissíveis. O objetivo deste estudo foi cultivar 3 amostras de kefir à base de leite e realizar análises físico-químicas para quantificar e definir os elementos presentes neste alimento, como o teor de carboidratos, proteínas, umidade, cinzas e lipídeos. A metodologia aplicada para execução do trabalho ocorreu através de revisão bibliográfica utilizando como base artigos em periódicos científicos, livros, teses, dissertações e resumos de congresso, sendo selecionadas publicações entre 2015 e 2020, nos idiomas inglês, espanhol e português e pesquisa de campo, realizando o cultivo e as análises bromatológicas. Os resultados obtidos através da caracterização físico-química dos grãos de kefir são semelhantes aos relatados na literatura, havendo algumas diferenças decorrentes do clima, matéria-prima utilizada e cuidados no cultivo. Conclui-se assim que o kefir é um alimento benéfico à saúde, porém são necessários certos cuidados no cultivo e manejo para garantir sua qualidade. CHARACTERIZATION OF MILK KEFIR REGARDING PHYSICOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION ABSTRACT Over the years, the search for foods that improve the quality of life has increased, such as functional foods. Kefir is a type of fermented milk produced by fermenting milk using grains, which are gelatinous masses of white or yellowish color that contain yeast and/or bacteria. It is a probiotic food, because it contains microorganisms present that are beneficial to humans and, if consumed in an amount of at least 106 CFU/100 mL or grams of the product, may help prevent or correct some health problems, including diabetes, malnutrition, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic non-transmissible diseases. This study aimed to cultivate 3 milk-based kefir samples and to conduct physicochemical analyses to quantify and define the elements found in this food, such as carbohydrate, protein, moisture, ash, and lipid content. The methodology used to carry out the study was a literature review based on articles in scientific journals, books, thesis, dissertations, and conference summaries, selecting publications between 2015 and 2020, in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as field research, with cultivation and bromatological analysis. The results observed in the physical-chemical characterization of kefir grains are similar to those reported in the literature, with some differences resulting from climate, raw material used and cultivation care. It is thus concluded that kefir is a beneficial food to health, but it is necessary to take proper care in cultivation and management to ensure its health benefits. Descriptors: Functional foods. Probiotics. Cultured milk products.

The Use of the Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v in the Technology of Non-Dairy Ice Cream Based on Avocado

Food enriched with probiotics and prebiotics belong to the class of novel foods. Functional food, apart from its nutritional function, has an additional pro-health effect. The aim of the presented study was to create a concept of a functional dessert—avocado-based non-diary ice cream enriched with probiotic bacteria Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v. The product was tested for the survival of bacteria in various conditions, and the influence of the probiotic on the physicochemical and organoleptic properties of non-dairy ice cream was assessed. The dessert with probiotic throughout the storage period (8 weeks) kept the therapeutic minimum defined for probiotic food products. It was found that the addition of the probiotic did not deteriorate either the color or the sensory profile of the dessert. There was also no increase in the redox potential nor the acidity of the product with the addition of a probiotic.

ANTAGONISTIC EFFECT OF LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHILUS AGAINST ENTEROPATHOGENS AND ITS UTILIZATION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF PROBIOTIC FOOD MIXTURES

Probiotics are live microbial supplement, which beneficially affect the host by improving the intestinal microbial balance. Lactobacillus acidophilus is one of the most common probiotic bacteria which have beneficial effects on the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract. In the present study, L. acidophilus was used as the probiotic culture. The antagonistic effect of L. acidophilus against the enteropathogens strains of E. coli (MTCC 40), Salmonella enteritidis (MTCC 3219), Bacillus cereus (MTCC 430), Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 430) and Shigella flexineri (MTCC 1457) was studied. The results showed that L.acidophilus was able to inhibit the growth of some of the selected pathogens in varying degrees. It was found to be most effective with a zone of inhibition of 24 mm recorded against Staphylococcus aureus. The antagonistic effect may be due to the production of organic acids, bacteriocins and hydrogen peroxide. Later, an attempt wasmade to develop probiotic food mixtures containing banana flour, soya flour, tomato, mango and papaya involving L acidophilus. The food mixture (25g) was mixed with 150ml water and stirred to obtain uniform slurry. Adjusted the pH to 4.5 and autoclaved at 121°C (1.5 kg cm-2) for 15 minutes. After cooling this was inoculated with 300µl (8.07log cfu ml-1) liquid culture of L. acidophilus (24 hour old culture) and incubated at 37° C for 24 hours. After fermentation it was freeze dried. The viability of the developed food mixtures were assessed for 6 months and it showed good viability which was within the recommended level of probiotic organism to assure health benefits.

Comprehensive Analysis of Bacterial Community Structure and Diversity in Sichuan Dark Tea (Camellia sinensis)

Bacteria and fungi present during pile-fermentation of Sichuan dark tea play a key role in the development of its aesthetic properties, such as color, taste, and fragrance. In our previous study, high-throughput sequencing of dark tea during fermentation revealed Aspergillus was abundant, but scarce knowledge is available about bacterial communities during pile-fermentation. In this study, we rigorously explored bacterial diversity in Sichuan dark tea at each specific stage of piling. Analysis of cluster data revealed 2,948 operational taxonomic units, which were divided into 42 phyla, 98 classes, 247 orders, 461 families, 1,052 genera, and 1,888 species. Certain members of the family Enterobacteriaceae were dominant at early stages of fermentation YC, W1, and W2; Pseudomonas at middle stage W3; and the highest bacterial diversity was observed at the final quality-determining stage W4. Noticeably, probiotics, such as Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharopolyspora were also significantly higher at the quality-determining stage W4. Our findings might help in precise bacterial inoculation for probiotic food production by increasing the health benefits of Sichuan dark tea. This research also falls under the umbrella of the “Establish Good Health and Well-Being” Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Organization.

The Many Faces of Enterococcus spp.—Commensal, Probiotic and Opportunistic Pathogen

Enterococcus spp. are Gram-positive, facultative, anaerobic cocci, which are found in the intestinal flora and, less frequently, in the vagina or mouth. Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are the most common species found in humans. As commensals, enterococci colonize the digestive system and participate in the modulation of the immune system in humans and animals. For many years reference enterococcal strains have been used as probiotic food additives or have been recommended as supplements for the treatment of intestinal dysbiosis and other conditions. The use of Enterococcus strains as probiotics has recently become controversial due to the ease of acquiring different virulence factors and resistance to various classes of antibiotics. Enterococci are also seen as opportunistic pathogens. This problem is especially relevant in hospital environments, where enterococcal outbreaks often occur. Their ability to translocate from the gastro-intestinal tract to various tissues and organs as well as their virulence and antibiotic resistance are risk factors that hinder eradication. Due to numerous reports on the plasticity of the enterococcal genome and the acquisition of pathogenic microbial features, we ask ourselves, how far is this commensal genus from acquiring pathogenicity? This paper discusses both the beneficial properties of these microorganisms and the risk factors related to their evolution towards pathogenicity.

Effect of Alginate-Microencapsulated Hydrogels on the Survival of Lactobacillus rhamnosus under Simulated Gastrointestinal Conditions

Thanks to the beneficial properties of probiotic bacteria, there exists an immense demand for their consumption in probiotic foods worldwide. Nevertheless, it is difficult to retain a high number of viable cells in probiotic food products during their storage and gastrointestinal transit. Microencapsulation of probiotic bacteria is an effective way of enhancing probiotic viability by limiting cell exposure to extreme conditions via the gastrointestinal tract before releasing them into the colon. This research aims to develop a new coating material system of microencapsulation to protect probiotic cells from adverse environmental conditions and improve their recovery rates. Hence, Lactobacillus rhamnosus was encapsulated with emulsion/internal gelation techniques in a calcium chloride solution. Alginate–probiotic microbeads were coated with xanthan gum, gum acacia, sodium caseinate, chitosan, starch, and carrageenan to produce various types of microcapsules. The alginate+xanthan microcapsules exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiency (95.13 ± 0.44%); they were simulated in gastric and intestinal juices at pH 3 during 1, 2, and 3 h incubations at 37 °C. The research findings showed a remarkable improvement in the survival rate of microencapsulated probiotics under simulated gastric conditions of up to 83.6 ± 0.89%. The morphology, size, and shape of the microcapsules were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope. For the protection of probiotic bacteria under simulated intestinal conditions; alginate microbeads coated with xanthan gum played an important role, and exhibited a survival rate of 87.3 ± 0.79%, which was around 38% higher than that of the free cells (49.4 ± 06%). Our research findings indicated that alginate+xanthan gum microcapsules have a significant potential to deliver large numbers of probiotic cells to the intestines, where cells can be released and colonized for the consumer’s benefit.

Probiotic Delivery through Non-Dairy Plant-Based Food Matrices

Probiotics are live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Traditionally, dairy products are the major and most popular probiotic carriers. At present, there is a growing demand for non-dairy probiotic products. Both fermented and non-fermented non-dairy plant-based food products are becoming highly appealing to both dairy and non-dairy consumers worldwide. Non-dairy plant-based food matrices such as fruits, vegetables, plant-based milk, cereals, and legumes have been used successfully in producing probiotic products with the minimum recommended viable probiotic numbers at the time of consumption. However, due to the exclusion of dairy, whether these food matrices can enhance the functional properties of probiotics such as gastrointestinal survival and immune-enhancing effects needs a thorough investigation. Hence, this review focuses on some of the popular non-dairy plant-based probiotic food products and their microbiological quality characteristics in terms of maintaining probiotic viability during product storage. Their gastrointestinal tolerance in these products, other functional properties, and product qualities have also been briefly discussed.

In Vivo Evaluation of Soya Beans Flour Fermented with Lactic Acid Bacteria as a Potential Probiotic Food

This research work was carried out to determine the in vivo antibacterial potential of soya beans flour fermented with lactic acid bacteria. This research focused on the feeding trial of formulated feed made of soya bean fermented for 72 hours with lactic acid bacteria (Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Lactobacillus planetarium) for albino rats, this is to know the effect of this feed on the rat infected with pathogens, compare with those of control feed. The pathogens used were Escherichia coli, Shigella sp and Salmonella sp. The experiment was divided into eight (8) treatments. Treatments I and II were not infected. Treatment I was fed with normal basal diet while treatment II was fed with the fermented soya bean flour. This was to ascertain the level of existence of the pathogen and the lactic acid bacteria before the introduction the pathogens. Pathogens count in treatment IV, VI, and VIII (rats fed with fermented soya bean flour) decreases as feeding time increases compare to treatment III, V and VII (rat fed with basal diet) which increases with the feeding time. The rats were fed from day 0 to day 56. Lactic acid bacteria commonly used as starter cultures in food technology are known to manufacture antimicrobial products and improve the food the organolpetic properties having great potential. Also, the Haematological analysis showed that the rats infected with the pathogens and later fed with the fermented soya beans flour recovered fully since their values are well within the permissible limit and are not significantly (p ≤ 0.05) different from the control group. Lactobacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroids strains used were able to grow and metabolize during fermentation of soya beans flour. It may be concluded that fermented soya beans flour with these isolates can be used as probiotic food and this in turn can be used in the treatment of infection caused by pathogens. It is recommended that the use of probiotic food for treatments should encouraged as an alternative to the use of antibiotic.