Fortification of Fruit Juices by Probiotic Lactic acid Bacteria Producing Siderophore Isolatedfrom Infant Faecal Matter

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the suitability of different fruit juices as a raw material for production of probiotic juice by two lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus rhamnosus). The fruit juices were fermented at 30o C for 72 hr and changes in the microbial population, pH, sugar contentand titratable acid were observed during the fermentation period. The viable cell counts reached upto 10 8 CFU/ml and pH decreased from 5.2 to 3.3. The viability of all strains was also determined at 4o C and it was observed that the viable cell counts of the lactic acid bacteria in the fermented fruit juices remained constant up to 4 weeks. The above two isolates were also found to produce siderophores in a range of 50 - 90 % of siderophore units. The fruit juices proved to be a suitable media for the production of a fermented probiotic drink and may serve as a healthy beverage for vegetarians, particularly diabetics after conducting certain sensory evaluation tests.