Green apple baked snacks functionalized with edible coatings of methylcellulose containing Lactobacillus plantarum

MARÍA JOSÉ TAVERA-QUIROZ, NELSON ROMANO, PABLO MOBILI, ADRIANA PINOTTI, ANDREA GÓMEZ ZAVAGLIA, NORA BERTOLA

Journal of Functional Foods

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2015 vol. 16 p. 164 - 173

1756-4646

The aim of the present work was to develop a healthy snack as a vehicle of probiotic bacteria. Apple snacks were coated with methylcellulose films containing fructooligosaccharides and Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA 83114 (7.02x109±1.39x109 CFU/g). Dehydration of the snacks at 60ºC for 50 min allowed obtaining a product with water content, crispness and visual aspect similar to those before applying the film-forming solution, without major detrimental effects for microorganisms. Organoleptic attributes of coated snacks were evaluated by an experienced sensory panel, receiving good scores in taste (6.5±1.9 / 9), color (7.7±1.2 / 9), texture (7.2±1.3 / 9) and overall acceptability (7.2±1.3 / 9). Storage of the snacks at 20ºC and 60 %RH caused only a mild decrease in the bacterial cultivability after 90 days (1.43 log CFU/g), and a significant number of bacteria were still alive after the simulated gastric (5.51×106±7.03×105 CFU/g) and intestinal (9.83×105±4.52×105 CFU/g) digestions of the stored samples. The force-deformation curves showed a typical pattern of brittle materials up to 90 days of storage. The Tg followed a similar trend, in accordance with the constant moisture content. An organoleptically attractive food product was obtained which after 90 days of storage presented a high load of cultivable lactobacilli (1.94×108±9.99×107 CFU/g). This concentration is well above the minimum considered necessary (106-107 CFU/g) to obtain the benefits of probiotic consumption.