Developing novel synbiotic low-fat yogurt with fucoxylogalacturonan from tragacanth gum: Investigation of quality parameters and Lactobacillus casei survival

Abstract

Tragacanth gum (TG) displayed a prebiotic activity, but its application was restricted due to high viscosity and deterioration of organoleptic and textural characteristics of food. In this study, TG was depolymerized by Pectinex Ultra Color enzyme followed by membrane separation (30 kDa) to get pectinase hydrolyzed fraction of tragacanth gum (PHFTG) with molecular weight more than 30 kDa. The average molecular weight of PHFTG was 147.7 ± 11.5 g/mol having a fucoxylogalacturonan structure. The prebiotic activity was tested using PHFTG, TG, and inulin as a carbon source. The results showed that the count of Lactobacillus casei in PHFTG- and inulin-supplemented media increased significantly during the 48-hr fermentation (p