Microbiological and physicochemical properties of double emulsified lactobacillus plantarum NBRC 3070 in soursop juice during storage / Safiah Sabrina Hassan

The stability of probiotics supplemented in beverages and other food products are often
low during processing and has unpredictable shelf life. Manufacturer of probiotics
products especially beverages facing significant challenges regarding the survivability
of probiotics during processing and storage as well as during their passage through
gastrointestinal tract. Application of probiotics entrapment through double
emulsification approach significantly improves the survivability of probiotics during
food processing, storage, and gastrointestinal transit. Thus, this research was aimed to
emulsify Lactobacillus plantarum NBRC 3070 and incorporated this emulsified
probiotics in soursop juice (Annona muricata L.). The viability of emulsified
Lactobacillus plantarum NBRC 3070 in soursop juice during storage for 4 weeks at 4ºC
was determined. The microbial, physicochemical, and sensory evaluations of emulsified
L. plantarum NBRC 3070 soursop juice were evaluated at weekly intervals for 4 weeks
in comparison with control soursop juice without any probiotics. Pasteurized soursop
juices were produced from the ripened soursop pulp. Probiotics soursop juice was
supplied with emulsified L. plantarum NBRC 3070 with 85.03% of emulsification
efficiency. The viability of emulsified L. plantarum NBRC 3070 in soursop juice
showed insignificant reduction within storage period from 7.87×107 log10 CFU/mL to
7.01×107 log10 CFU/mL. The study of the emulsified L. plantarum NBRC 3070 soursop
juice showed a significant declined in total soluble solids and viscosity during storage
period. Insignificant difference were recorded for pH and titratable acidity (malic acid)
of emulsified L. plantarum NBRC 3070 soursop juice. Results showed that yeast counts
of emulsified L. plantarum NBRC 3070 soursop juice significantly increased during
storage period. There was no coliform growth observed in emulsified L. plantarum
NBRC 3070 soursop juice during storage. Sensory evaluation for soursop juice
supplemented with double emulsified L. plantarum NBRC 3070 showed satisfactory
results. This study revealed that the encapsulation of L. plantarum NBRC using
emulsification approach help in maintaining high cells viability until the end of storage
period. The incorporation of double emulsified L. plantarum NBRC 3070 in soursop
juice affects the microbial and physicochemical properties of the juice product.