Evaluation of probiotic l. Rhamnosus gg as a protective culture in sea buckthorn-based beverage

Abstract

The main objective of this paper was to evaluate the efficiency of probiotic strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (ATCC 53103) as a protective culture when present in a food system. A non-fermented sea buckthorn-based beverage was developed. To meet the required criteria for probiotic beverage (viable count of 8 log CFU mL−1), the acidic juice had to be supplemented with whey protein concentrate (WPC). The obtained beverage had a shelf life of two weeks. Furthermore, the inhibitory potential of Lactobacillus-fortified-WPC-supplemented juice matrix was evaluated against E. coli (ATCC 25922) which is a major agent responsible for food contamination and shelf spoilage. Results indicated that the fortification of beverage with L. rhamnosus GG appeared to create an effective hurdle for multiplication of E. coli in the sea buckthorn-WPC system.