PROBIOTICS ENCAPSULATED FRUIT JUICE BUBBLES AS FUNCTIONAL FOOD PRODUCT

This experimental research investigates encapsulation of Pediococcus pentosaceus ARG-MG12 in pure orange juice bubbles. In the study, four tropical fruit juices: guava, watermelon, pineapple, and orange, were first evaluated in terms of sensory characteristics: color, odor, flavor, texture, overall acceptance, using a 9-point hedonic scale; and orange juice whose sensory scores were statistically highest was selected for further development into probiotic fruit bubbles. The physicochemical properties of probiotic orange bubbles were examined and the sensory evaluation undertaken. Furthermore, the probiotic bubbles were subjected to gastric juice (pH 2.0) and bile salt (0.6% w/v) environment for 3 h to simulate human gastrointestinal tract and to variable storage durations (0, 3, 5, 7, 14 days) at 4 degrees C to assess cell viability. The findings showed that the probiotic orange bubbles had 390.71 g/sec of stiffness, DPPH radical-scavenging activity of 294 mu g ascorbic acid eq./ml, and L-ascorbic acid content of 0.095 mg/ml. Meanwhile, the survival rates of bacterial cells in low pH environment and bile salt were 83.27% and 94.24%, respectively. At day 14, the remaining bacteria were above 8 log CFU/g, given that the minimum concentrations of probiotics are 106107 CFU/ml at the end of product's shelf life. Moreover, sensory testing panelists were unable to differentiate between non-probiotic and probiotic orange bubbles.