Effect of Oat Flour Addition on the Viability of Probiotic Micro-organisms During Refrigerated Storage of Synbiotic Milk Drink

Abstract

Oats and probiotics have been long known for providing health benefits. An attempt has been made to prepare the synbiotic milk drink by adding oat flour in different concentrations (0.5 %, 1.0 % and 1.5 %) with L. casei 019 and L. acidophilus 014 as a probiotic microorganisms. The several works that were carried on probiotic bacteria in food systems have proved a low viability during storage period. This work presents some research whose main purpose is the improvement of the behaviour and functionality of the added probiotic strains by adding oat flour. At the end of the storage period of 21 days, the probiotic count in the samples T₀, T₁, T₂ and T₃ were found to be 5.78, 5.95, 7.04 and 7.08 log₁₀ cfu/ml respectively. The milk drink samples (T₂) 1 % and (T₃) 1.5 % had maintained the desirable number of probiotic microorganisms in the product.