Enhancing synbiotic dairy beverages with chemically cross-linked inulin for improved texture and stability

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

Abstract In this study synbiotic dairy beverages containing chemically cross-linked inulin (using sodium hexametaphosphate-SHMP) and three probiotic bacteria strains ( Lactobacillus (Lb.) acidophilus , Lacticaseibacillus (Lcb.) rhamnosus , and Lcb. paraparacasei ) were examined during 30 days of storage. The samples were compared with control samples produced using natural inulin and the effects of cross-linked inulin on the composition, acidity, microbiological, physical (colour, water holding capacity, rheology), electrophoretic profile (SDS-PAGE), total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity and sensory (appearance, structure, flavour) properties of the synbiotic dairy beverages were determined. This study demonstrated that cross-linked inulin enhanced viscosity and water-holding capacity resulting in a more stable and thicker product without significantly altering the compositional properties or probiotic viability. Cross-linking inulin did not impact the viability of probiotic bacteria, which remained above 10 6 CFU/mL. While the amount of total phenolic compounds was not affected by the different probiotics and inulin, the probiotics and cross-linked inulin did influence the antioxidant capacity of the samples. Sensory evaluation indicated that all samples were well-received and acceptable. These findings demonstrated that incorporating cross-linked inulin in synbiotic dairy beverage production enhanced the rheological properties without significantly affecting other analyzed characteristics of samples. There is no previous study on dairy beverages produced with cross-linked inulin. Therefore, this is the first study to systematically evaluate the effect of chemically cross-linked inulin on the textural and sensory properties of synbiotic beverages.