Survival of commercial probiotic strains and their effect on dark chocolate synbiotic snack with raspberry content during the storage and after simulated digestion

BACKGROUND: A key challenge for manufacturers of pro-health food containing active probiotic microorganisms is to develop a product with attractive sensory features along with maintenance of declared number of microorganisms during storage and transfer by alimentary tract. RESULTS: The highest concentration of polyphenols was observed in snacks without an additive of probiotics as well as those with an additive of L. rhamnosus and B. animalis bacteria and concentration of these compounds increased by 9.5% during six months of storage. None of the products distinguished itself in the sensorial assessment although each was assessed positively. The number of microorganisms was stable and comparatively high during six months of storage at a room temperature and in cooling conditions (108 cfu/g). In the digestion model, an influence of aggressive digestion conditions was examined in the alimentary tract on the number of microorganisms, which allowed to arrange strains from the most resistant (S. boulardii) to the most sensitive (B. breve). It must be noted that currently on the market there is no available snack containing probiotic yeast as well as there is no literature data on works on such formulation of food. CONCLUSIONS: In the newly developed snack made of chocolate, in which sugar has been replaced with maltitol, a raw material was added in the form of raspberry, prebiotic in the form of inulin and a strain of probiotic bacteria, including the unprecedented so far S. boulardii, which stands a high chance to occupy a good place on the market of functional food.

Changes in Antioxidants and Sensory Properties of Italian Chocolates and Related Ingredients Under Controlled Conditions During an Eighteen-Month Storage Period.

BACKGROUND: While there has been an increasing interest in the health properties of chocolate, limited research has looked into the changes of antioxidants occurring in the time span from production to the best before date, which was a period of 18 months in this study. METHODS: Humidity, ash, pH, acidity, fiber, carotenoids, retinols, tocopherols, sugars, proteins, theobromine, caffeine, polyphenols, fats, the peroxide value, organic acids, and volatile compounds, along with the sensory profile, were monitored at 18-week intervals for 18 months under conditions simulating a factory warehouse or a point of sale. RESULTS: At the end of the storage period, more polyphenols were lost (64% and 87%) than vitamin E (5% and 14%) in cocoa mass and cocoa powder, respectively. Conversely, a greater loss in vitamin E (34% and 86%) than in polyphenols (19% and 47%) was shown in the hazelnut paste and gianduja chocolate, respectively. The sensory profiling of cocoa mass, cocoa powder, and hazelnut paste revealed increases in grittiness and astringency, as well as decreases in melting, bitterness, and toasted aroma. Moreover, in the hazelnut paste and gianduja chocolate, oiliness increased with a toasted and caramel aroma. Furthermore, dark chocolate was more gritty, acidic, and bitter. Milk chocolate lost its nutty aroma but maintained its sweetness and creaminess. CONCLUSIONS: These results should contribute an important reference for companies and consumers, in order to preserve the antioxidants and understand how antioxidants and sensory properties change from the date of production until the best before date.

Enriching novel dark chocolate with Bacillus coagulans as a way to provide beneficial nutrients.

The aim of the present study was to develop a novel type of probiotic chocolate with the additive Bacillus coagulans bacteria and determine the concentration of polyphenols and their bioaccessibility. The manufactured chocolate possessed significantly higher concentrations of polyphenols than the control sample. The sensory profiles of the tested probiotic chocolate were similar to those of the control sample. In future, the probiotic chocolate could be regarded as a functional food product by chocolate producers.

Probiotic Properties of Lactobacillus Plantarum LRCC5193, a Plant-Origin Lactic Acid Bacterium Isolated from Kimchi and Its Use in Chocolates.

This study involves an investigation of the probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Kimchi, and their potential applications in chocolate. Lactobacillus plantarum-LRCC5193 (LP-LRCC5193) demonstrated a significantly higher degree of heat, acid, and bile acid tolerance compared to other Kimchi isolates. The intestinal adhesion assay also revealed that 84.2 log percentage of LP-LRCC5193 adhered to the Caco-2 cells after 2 h of incubation. Furthermore, the lyophilized LP-LRCC5193 maintained 92.9 log percentage and 97.2 log percentage survival rate within artificial stomach juice (pH 2.5, pepsin 0.04%) and artificial intestinal juice (oxgall 0.5%, trypsin 0.04%, and pancreatin 0.04%), respectively. Meanwhile, we also found that lyophilized LP-LRCC5193 incorporated in chocolate exhibited significantly higher survivability than lyophilized LP-LRCC5193 in both artificial gastric and intestinal juice under 1 to 3 hr incubation, where the survivability was within the range of 96.3 to 98.5 log percentage, and 98.8 to 98.9 log percentage, respectively. A 6-month storage test further revealed that LP-LRCC5193 demonstrated higher stability than the lyophilized LP-LRCC5103 in 3 different temperature ranges, where the final survival rates were 97.2 log percentage (20 °C), 89.2 log percentage (33 °C), and 94.4 log percentage (15 to 30 °C/wk). Altogether, our data suggest that chocolate can be used as a tasty delivery vehicle for delivering putative probiotic strain, LP-LRCC5193 to the gastrointestinal tract. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Lactobacillus plantarum LRCC5193 (LP-LRCC5193) isolated from Kimchi demonstrated high stability under gastrointestinal environmental stresses and good adhesion to the intestinal epithelial cells in vitro. In addition, LP-LRCC5193 containing chocolates remained highly stable after storage at room temperature for 6 months. Chocolate containing LP-LRCC5193 can thus be considered a promising probiotic delivery system.