Coconut Water Fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum with Inulin Addition: Development of a Potentially Synbiotic Beverage

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop a synbiotic beverage using green coconut water (GCW) and agave inulin. The supplementation of 0.5% (w/v) agave inulin and incubation at 32 °C provided the optimal conditions for viable cell counts of Lactobacillus plantarum BG 112, reaching 8.85 log CFU/mL, according to the factorial experimental design with face-centered star points (a = ±1). The probiotic count in GCW was 8.81 ± 0.94 log CFU/mL, and did not present significant difference during shelf life of 30 days, which is a satisfactory result for fermented products regarding viability. The increase of lactic acid (3.88 ± 0.61 % to 13.00 ± 1.48 %) caused a decrease in the pH of the beverage, reaching 3.66 ± 0.01 at the end of storage. In the sensory evaluation, all the parameters obtained average scores higher than 8.0, indicating a good acceptance of the product. Therefore, the synbiotic beverage developed presents a non-dairy alternative to deliver L. plantarum, with high acceptability and health-promoting properties to consumers.