The popularity of dairy products fortified with prebiotics and probiotics continues to increase as consumers desire new food products with health benefits.  Prebiotics in food contribute to enhance the growth and maintain the viability of probiotics. Gums are polysaccharides or fibers used as stabilizing and emulsifying agents in food products and could also be used to enhance the growth of probiotics. Therefore the objective of this study was to determine the impact of gums on the growth of Lactobacillus reuteri in laboratory medium. Batches of 200 mL modified M17 medium were prepared with 0.5 % (w/v) of one of the following gums: carrageenan, guar, carrageenan-maltodextrin, locust bean, pectin-dextrose, alginate, pectin, pectin-carrageenan, and inulin. Samples were sterilized at 121 �C for 15 min, allowed to cool to 42 �C, and then inoculated with L. reuteri strains at inoculums level of 3 log CFU/mL. Samples were incubated at 37 �C for 16 h and final bacterial population was determined. In control samples, strains of L. reuteri continue to grow and reach an average of 7.16 log CFU/mL. The results indicated higher bacterial population in samples with gums compared to control. The addition of pectin and carrageenan-maltodextrin enhanced the growth of L. reuteri to reach averages of 9.0 and 8.9 log CFU/mL respectively. These findings may lead to the use of pectin and carrageenan-maltodextrin to enhance the viability of probiotic bacteria and thus improve the therapeutic quality of functional food.

Impact of gums on the growth of Lactobacillus reuteri

247th National Meeting (2014)

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