The potential of prebiotic production from wild yam as lactobacillus casei growth promoter

The infant intestinal tract is essentially sterile part and experiences a period of steady colonization over the following weeks and months as it is exposed to microorganisms from the environment. It is generally accepted that these microorganisms have a major impact on the overall development and function of the gastrointestinal mucosa and immune system. This research aims at prebiotic extraction from wild yam which is a plant in the local area. The study found that prebiotic extracted from wild yam soaked for 24 hours and 3 days gave the prebiotic concentration of 1,437 μg/ml and 1,141 μg/ml, respectively. The optimum conditions for prebiotic extraction consisted of the extraction ratio, temperature and soaking time of 1:30 (w/v), 85°C and 30 minutes, respectively. The growth of Lactobacillus casei subsp. rhamnosus in fermented milk supplemented with wild yam extract was investigated. Result showed that the fermented milk with prebiotic extract (3 days soaking wild yam) was able to promote growth of L. casei subsp. rhamnosus.