Abstract

                                Experiment was undertaken to determine the suitability of the fruit juice as probiotic carrier food by incorporating probiotic bacteria in different fruit juices. Pasteurized fruit juices such as apple, banana, grapes, mango, orange, pineapple, pomegranate and tomato were inoculated with 24-h-old probiotic culture (Lactobacillus acidophilus) and incubated at 37oC for 48 h. Changes in the acidity, pH, TSS, total sugars, color and viable cell counts after 48 h of fermentation were analyzed. All the probiotic fruit juices recorded higher percentage of acidity as expressed as lactic acid and lower pH values. The TSS and total sugars were decreased and there were changes in the colour values. The probiotic bacteria used in this study was found capable of rapidly utilizing the juice for cell synthesis and lactic acid production without nutrient supplementation and pH adjustment. The results revealed that apple and pomegranate showed maximum survival of L.acidophilus and the numbers reached upto 17.5×107 cfu/ml compared to other probiotic fruit juices. Banana juice showed the lowest survival. Sensory evaluation of probiotic fruit juices was carried out and probiotic apple juice showed higher sensory score of above 8 for different sensory attributes except color compared to other probiotic fruit juices. Based on the changes in the physico chemical properties of fruit juices, survival of probiotic L.acidophilus and the sensory evaluation reports, it can be concluded that apple juice was found to be suitable for the production of probiotic apple juice and it could serve as a health beverage for consumers who are allergic to dairy products and old age people.

Key words : Fruit juices, probiotic carrier, pasteurized fruit juices, Lactobacillus acidophilus