33G-5 |
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Y.-J. CHO and A. Mustapha. Department of Food Science, University of Missouri, 256 William Stringer Wing, Eckles Hall, Columbia, MO 65211-5160 Probiotics compete with and suppress the growth of undesirable microorganisms in the colon, and thus, help to stabilize the digestive system. Unfermented soy beverage, a functional food in itself, was chosen to be a vehicle for probiotics in this study. Our objective was to determine the effects of probiotic-fortified soy beverages on the microbial balance in a simulated human colon. Two probiotic strains, Bifidobacterium longum B6 (Bl) and Lactobacillus paracasei ATCC 25598 (Lp), were added, singly or in combination, to a plain-flavored commercial soy beverage. Using a bench-top fermenter, changes in the population of different fecal bacterial groups (bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, clostridia, Bacteroides, enterococci and coliform) were monitored to see the impact of the probiotics delivered in the soy beverage on these bacterial populations. The results demonstrated that Bl, Lp and a combination of the strains remained stable at high numbers (approximately 7 log CFU/ml), when applied into the simulated human colon for 3 hours. There was a significant decrease in the population of clostridia, Bacteroides, enterococci and coliform by the probiotic-fortified soy beverage after the 3 hour simulation (P < 0.0001). Our study indicated that the two probiotic strains tested caused significant decreases in numbers of undesirable colonic bacterial flora. Adding probiotics to unfermented soy beverages is a simple method with health beneficial consequences to consumers.
Session 33G, Nutraceuticals & Functional Foods: Lipid and probiotic functional foods
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