Three Types of Beetroot Products Enriched with Lactic Acid Bacteria.

Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) represents a very rich source of bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds and carotenoids, among which the most important being betalains, mainly betacyanins and betaxanthins. The beetroot matrix was used in a fresh or dried form or as lyophilized powder. A 1012 CFU/g inoculum of Lactobacillus plantarum MIUG BL3 culture was sprayed on the vegetal tissue. The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) viability for all the products was evaluated over 21 days, by microbiological culture methods. The antioxidant activity of the obtained food products was correlated to the betalains content and the viability of LAB. The content of polyphenolic compounds varied between 225.7 and 1314.7 mg L-1, hence revealing a high content of bioactive compounds. Through the confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis, a large number of viable probiotic cells were observed in all the variants but especially in the fresh red beet cubes. After 21 days of refrigeration, the high content of Lb. plantarum (CFU per gram) of the food products was attributed to the biocompounds and the nutrients of the vegetal matrix that somehow protected the bacterial cells, and thus maintained their viability. The obtained food products enriched with probiotic LAB can be regarded as new functional food products due to the beneficial properties they possessed throughout the undertaken experiments.

The kinetics of the swelling process and the release mechanisms of Coriandrum sativum L. essential oil from chitosan/alginate/inulin microcapsules.

The encapsulation by spray drying method of coriander essential oil (CEO) in various materials (chitosan, alginate, chitosan/alginate, chitosan/inulin) was studied. The viscoelastic properties of the oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions and the characteristics of CEO-loaded microcapsules like morphology, moisture, wettability, solubility, flowability properties, swelling and release mechanisms were investigated. The chitosan microcapsules had a brain-like structure while the alginate and chitosan/alginate microcapsules are spherical with a smooth surface. The Compressibility Index (CI=29.09-32.25%) and Hausner Ratio (HR=1.38-1.44) values showed that all the microcapsules prepared correspond to the "poor" flowability powders group. The chitosan microcapsules exhibited the maximum release rate at pH 2.5 while the alginate microcapsules exhibited the maximum release rate at pH 6.5. Kinetics and mechanism of CEO release were studied using various mathematical models such as, zero order, first order, Higuchi model and Peppas model. The diffusional exponent (n) values of Peppas equation explains a non Fickian transport mechanism and diffusion or diffusion-swelling controlled process.