Survival of immobilized probiotics in chocolate during storage and with an in vitro gastrointestinal model

Probiotics are the bacteria that can provide health benefits to the consumers and they are suitable to be added to a variety of foods. In this research, viability of immobilized potential probiotics, including Lactobacillus casei 01 and Lactobacillus acidophilus LA5, in three different types of chocolate (white, milk and dark) were studied during storage and with an in vitro gastrointestinal model. The sensory attributes of probiotic-chocolates were also evaluated. Both cultures were found to be viable up to 60 days of storage at 4 degrees C (> 6 log CFU/g) which were sufficient to potentially provide health benefits to the consumer. As a carrier, chocolates also may protect probiotics in both the stomach and small intestine environments. The overall sensory results suggested that the probiotic powders had no significant effect on sensory attributes. After 60 days storage, significant decreases of the overall liking scores in all the chocolate samples were observed. Therefore, this study may be useful for the future development of probiotic-supplemented chocolates as foods with health benefits for the consumers.