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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Dairy and Functional Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #292766
Title: Protection of probiotic bacteria in synbiotic matrices

Author
item CHALUVADI, SAIKIRAN - Harris Tea Company Private Label And Specialty Tea
item Hotchkiss, Arland
item KIT, YAM - Rutgers University

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/29/2013
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Probiotics, like Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus reuteri, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium longum, when encapsulated with prebiotic fibers such as fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), inulin (I) and pectic-oligosaccharides (POS), formed a synbiotic matrix system that protected the bacteria from refrigerated aerobic storage conditions. Commercial application requires at least 7 Log CFU/ml of these bacteria along with an ability to produce short chain fatty acids. Bacterial survival was determined by cell counts from different synbiotic matrices followed by analysis of fatty acids produced during anaerobic growth of the same bacteria upon revival from 28 day storage at 4 deg C under aerobic conditions. When calcium (45 mM) was used for cross-linking the alginate-based matrices, 2-3 Log CFU/mL of Lactobacillus acidophilus and L. reuteri and 0-3 Log CFU/mL of Bifidobacterium breve and B. longum survived refrigerated aerobic storage for 28 days. Following refrigerated storage, acetic (3-9 mM), butyric (0-2 mM), propionic (5-16 mM) and lactic acids (1-48 mM) were produced during anaerobic growth of probiotics in BHI broth at 37 deg C, suggesting their metabolic activity. When calcium cross-linking was not used in synbiotics, a much more gel-like matrix persisted and at least 7 Log CFU/mL of probiotic bacteria survived after 21 days of storage. Significantly higher levels of Bifidobacterium breve, Lactobacillus acidophilus and L. reuteri were obtained from the synbiotic matrices supplemented with FOS, POS and I compared to alginate alone. Refrigerated aerobic shelf-life of probiotic bacteria was extended to four months. These results show that synbiotics are viable delivery vehicles for health promoting probiotic bacteria.