Evaluation of effectiveness and optimisation of the process of fermentation of oat drink with lactic acid microorganisms

Abstract

Relevance. The development of lactose-free probiotic products has recently attracted the attention of many scientists. Such products are especially interesting for people with individual characteristics of the body, in particular intolerance to the chemical components of milk, or their own food preferences. As a food system for obtaining a probiotic product, plant-based drinks are increasingly being used: oatmeal, rice, soy almond and others. Plant-based drinks provide a range of nutrients, and fermentation processes using lactic acid microorganisms can enrich them with functional ingredients such as probiotics.The purpose of the study is to evaluate the possibility of fermentation of oatmeal drink by strains of probiotic lactic acid microorganisms and to search for optimal modes of this process.Methods. Fermentation of a non-alcoholic beverage from vegetable raw materials “Oat milk” was carried out using a starter culture Danisco Choozit MA 11 25 DCU, including Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. Cremoris. The efficiency of the process was assessed by the accumulation of biomass, titratable and active acidity, lactic acid accumulation, and the most likely number of probiotic microorganisms. Additionally, the influence of the functional component — routine — on the activity of changes in these indicators was assessed.Results. The possibility of adaptation of lactic acid bacteria in the plant environment of an oat drink was established, the addition of rutin contributed to the activation of the fermentation process. The increase in the biomass of lactic acid bacteria without the introduction of rutin was 150%, and when applied — 230%. The variation of the temperature factor during fermentation of the drink for 12–20 hours allowed us to establish the optimum for the accumulation of lactic acid — 16 hours at a temperature of 34.7 °C. The number of probiotic microorganisms in the finished drink was 3.8–5.2 × 107, which makes it possible to classify drinks as functional products with probiotics. Thus, the research results confirm the possibility of using an oat-based vegetable drink for fermentation by lactic acid bacteria Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris. The research was carried out with the financial support of a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (RGNF) within the framework of the project 23-26-10063.