Abstract
Probiotic bacteria inclusion on fruit pulp is an exceptional alternative for the production and innovation of functional foods. Therefore, the present work aims to study the drying of Caja (Spondias mombin) pulp added with Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis using a spouted bed. An experimental design comprising 11 experiments was used on the drying, varying the inlet temperature (50 ºC, 60 ºC, and 70 ºC), the maltodextrin concentration (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5% wt) and inulin concentration (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5% wt). The dependent variables studied in our work were the process yield and the number of viable cells. The liquid fruit pulp presented physicochemical conditions for bacteria growth and high content of bioactive compounds. Results revealed that lower inlet temperature in combination with lower concentrations of maltodextrin and inulin resulted in a powder with a higher number of viable cells. Even though temperature degradation is a critical factor for product quality while using drying processes, it was considered that the process was efficient because of the high cell viability, which is the critical factor to consider the product as probiotic.
Keywords:
Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. Lactis; experimental design; cell viability; process yield
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