Development of lactic acid fermented, probiotic sour cherry juice

Nowadays, demand for products which beyond the overall nutritional value have a feature that protects the consumer health, have increased. Several studies have proved that fruit juices can become a suitable carrier or medium for probiotic organisms. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the possibility of the probiotication of sour cherry juice (SCJ) by fermentation with probiotic starter culture. During the fermentation 9 Lactobacillus strains were used and Újfehértói fürtös sour cherry species as raw material. To reach the recommended probiotic cell count we investigated the pH adjustment, supplementation of nutrients, the effect of dilution, and strain adaptation to SCJ. In our study the properties of the strains – such as reproduction and metabolism – and its effect on the raw material were investigated. A significant difference was observed between the number of viable cells of certain Lactobacillus strains, that is important in point of view of the development of probiotic-containing products. Furthermore, the lactic acid fermented SCJ can enhance the polyphenol content and antioxidant activity to promote the health of consumers.