Optimization and production of dairy-cereal grain-based probiotic beverage powder and its probiotic survivability under simulated gastric and pancreatic conditions

Abstract

The present study uses maize flour and skimmed milk powder to develop a probiotic dairy-cereal-based food powder by spray drying and using response surface methodology for optimization. The processing parameters and ingredients, including inlet spray drying temperature (140–170 ℃), maize flour (80–120 g), and skim milk powder (60–80 g), were optimized against probiotic survivability count, moisture, sensory score, bulk density, and wettability as responses using response surface methodology. The optimum experimental conditions obtained to manufacture acceptable-quality powder were an inlet temperature of 151 ℃, an amount of maize flour of 102.74 g, and skim milk powder at 69.88 g. The probiotic survivability (8.35 log CFU/g) was observed at more than the recommended level (6.0 log CFU/g) due to the probiotic strain's microencapsulation by skim milk and maize flour components. The optimized powder had good nutritional and functional values and was observed to have acceptable water activity, surface structure, and color values. The shelf life of the product on the basis of probiotic survival (minimum 6.0 log CFU/g) was found to be 49 days at 4 ℃. Gastric and pancreatic survival was also observed at more than 50% in refrigerated conditions for up to 56 days of storage.