Fermented oat-based foods offer attractive prospects within the market of non-dairy functional products, since they are suitable substrates for the delivery of probiotic microorganisms, and are significant sources of dietary fiber, both insoluble and soluble such as β-glucan, good quality fat and other phytochemicals important for human health In the present work, whole oat flour was fermented with probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum strains to produce new functional foods with improved nutritional and technological features. Viability of the probiotic and the main technological, physico-chemical, nutritional and sensorial parameters were monitored at 7, 14 and 21 days of cold storage. The microbial survival was higher than 5x10 8 cfu g-1 at the end of the shelf life. After the fermentation step, viscosity was higher in products inoculated with the exopolysaccharide-producing L. plantarum strain Lp90. However, a subsequent viscosity reduction was detected in all the samples throughout the storage period, consistent with the observed concentration decrease of the oat β-glucan. Vitamin B2 content was about twofold higher in products fermented by the riboflavin-overproducing LpB2, and in these samples the riboflavin concentration further increased during cold storage. Highlights  Fermented oat-based foods are suitable substrates for delivery probiotic LAB.  Riboflavin-overproducing LpB2 increased the vitamin B2 content of oat-based products.  EPS-producing Lp90 seems to improve some rheological features.

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The results showed that table grape sensory quality could be increased by delaying harvest up to a certain time of the season, while excessive delay could reduce final grape quality.

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Mild microwave treatments such as 750 W/45 s and 750 W/60 s are a good sustainable alternative to the use of NaOCl; however, combining them with other sanitizing techniques is needed to control microbial growth throughout the shelf-life of fresh-cut carrot slices.

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