Wheat sprout flour as an attractive substrate for the producing probiotic fermented beverages: process development and product characterisation

In this study, the fermented beverages based on wheat sprout flours (WSFs, 5, 10 and 15%) obtained from two varieties (NAVID and DEIM) using lactic probiotic bacteria of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus paracasei were produced and characterised. Results revealed that the L. paracasei had a shorter dilation phase and a faster growth rate than L. plantarum especially in 5 and 15% WSF suspensions. The pH reduction was in accordance with the growth rate of two studied lactic bacteria. The fructose, glucose and maltose sugars were respectively consumed during the fermentation process. Lactic acid as the main organic acid at the process end was maximised in 15% WSF suspensions (0.70 g/100 ml). However, citric acid had the lowest changes during the process period. The 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl antioxidant activities of all beverages were significantly enhanced by the increasing fermentation time. Nevertheless, the lowest EC50 was found for 10% suspensions of DEIM-WSF fermented with L. paracasei starter. The results also showed that L. paracasei and DEIM sprout flour were the best strain and substrate, respectively, for production of functional fermented beverages in an industrial scale.