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Consumer acceptance of synbiotics, which are synergistic combinations of probiotics and their prebiotic substrates, continues to expand in the functional food category. This research aimed at evaluating the effect of antibacterial manuka honey on the probiotic growth and sensory characteristics of potentially synbiotic yogurts manufactured with Lactobacillus reuteri DPC16. Probiotic viable count in yogurts with 5% w/v Manuka honey (Blend, UMFTM 18+, AMFTM 15+ and AMFTM 20+) was evaluated by the spread plate method over the refrigerated storage period of three weeks. A panel of 102 consumers preferred the yogurt made with invert syrup over the manuka honey variants, and the unsweetened control was least liked overall. Invert syrup yogurt was also the most effective in promoting the growth of the probiotic lactobacilli. However, the honey-sweetened yogurts had a more favourable fermentation metabolite profile, especially the lactic and propionic acids, as estimated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. The probiotic counts in AMFTM 15+ manuka honey yogurt (7 log cfu/mL) were significantly higher than the other honey yogurt types (Manuka Blend and UMFTM 18+) and above the recommended threshold levels. The combination thus can be developed as a synbiotic functional food by further improving the sensory and physicochemical properties such as texture, apparent viscosity and water holding capacity.

The exploitation of wild fisheries has driven the seafood industry to develop more sustainable resources and high-intensity aquaculture. However, high-density aquaculture is prone to outbreaks of diseases. The use of chemicals and antimicrobial drugs in aquaculture is common practice, but such chemicals can have serious detrimental environmental impacts and antibiotics may result in bacterial resistance in many species. The development of non-antibiotic and green strategies, such as using probiotics and immunostimulants, aims for a more sustainable practice for health maintenance in aquaculture. Although the efficacy of such strategies has been demonstrated in cultivations settings, the effective delivery of bioactives remains a challenge. Conventional delivery methods are often ineffective in terms of dosage, stability and species specificity, and can possibly cause widespread environmental contamination. However, recently developed drug delivery systems may provide innovative ways to improve delivery with minimal waste and improved environmental protection. Indeed, such cutting-edge drug delivery systems have already provided measurable benefits in human medicine over the past two decades. New technologies, such as encapsulation and controlled release systems, can be used readily in scaled-up operations to improve the delivery of bioactives and ultimately increase production and profitability in aquaculture. This review critically analyses the use of encapsulation technology with a focus on microparticles for delivery of bioactive agents to farmed aquatic animals. This review discusses various potential encapsulation materials, their properties and a range of methods that can be applied and scaled-up for aquaculture. Finally, practical considerations for designing an efficient delivery system for aquaculture are discussed.

A fermented beverage was developed using breadfruit flour as a substrate by optimising sucrose, inoculum concentrations, and fermentation temperature in the formulation by utilising the D-optimal mixture design. The optimisation was carried out based on CFU counts, pH, titratable acidity, lactic acid, and sugar concentration of the different fermented breadfruit substrate formulations. Results showed that the optimised values based on the contour plots generated were: 7% breadfruit flour, 1% inoculum, and 15% sugar after fermentation at 30 °C for 48 h. Sensory projective mapping results showed that the fermented breadfruit substrate beverage was characterised by a pale-yellow appearance, fruity flavour, and sweet and sour taste. The hedonic test was not significantly different (p > 0.05) for almost all formulations except for formulation 4 (5% sugar, 3% inoculum, 7% breadfruit flour at 30 °C), which was described as bitter and had the lowest acceptance rating. This study successfully demonstrated the development of a novel fermented breadfruit-based beverage with acceptable sensory characteristics and cell viability using a mixture strain of L. acidophilus and L. plantarum DPC 206.

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