Spray drying and storage of probiotic‐enriched almond milk: probiotic survival and physicochemical properties

Abstract

BACKGROUND The combination of the nutritional profile of almond milk with the benefits of probiotic bacteria is an interesting development to meet the demand for sustainable and health‐promoting food. Almond milk inoculated with probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum (ATCC8014) was spray dried and the almond, its milk, and powders were characterized physicochemically. Samples were characterized in terms of bacterial survival before and after atomization. Bacterial viability and total fatty acid changes were studied during 8 months’ storage at 4 and 22 °C. RESULTS Results showed adequate physicochemical properties and an optimal bacterial survival rate, maintaining almost the same values before and after the spray‐drying operation. A decrease was observed in the cell viability for samples stored at 4 °C. However, the cell count was maintained above the minimum level suggested (107 living cells) to allow potential probiotic functionality for 8 months. On the other hand, the count cell of powders stored at 22 °C was below the minimum level required after 6 months. The fatty acids profile was not significantly (P > 0.05) affected by storage time and temperature. CONCLUSION A new almond‐based‐product with probiotics was developed to meet consumer demands. Almond nutrients were recovered from almond milk powder and were found to be a good source of K and high in Mg and in monounsaturated fat. The viability of bacteria was assured during 8 months of storage at 4 °C and up to 6 months for samples stored at 22 °C. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

Chemical and sensorial characterization of spray dried hydroSOStainable almond milk

“…The reason for the greater release of some minerals in powder could be related to the ability of probiotics with respect to enhancing the bioavailability of minerals by unlacing phytates via phytase enzyme and peptides production 23 . The present mineral content values were similar to those reported in almond milk powder with probiotics produced using the same almond cultivar 13 . When compared with whole milk powder, lower values were reported for some elements: Mg (0.8 g kg −1 ), Fe (5 mg kg −1 ) and Cu (1 mg kg −1 ).…”

“…As shown, there are wide differences among the contents; a reduction of 38% sucrose and an increase of 86% of glucose content with respect to the raw almond was observed. These differences were mainly attributed to the addition of maltodextrin to protect the probiotic bacteria 13 . Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide formed by d ‐glucose units linked in chains with 19 dextrose equivalents 26 .…”

“…The almond milk powder with probiotics process (AMPP) was already optimized in a previous study, 13 which evaluated the effect of spray drying on probiotic bacteria survival. Consequently, almond milk production, bacterial strain and growth ( Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014), probiotics cell production and spray drying conditions were the same as those in the previous study: 13.5 log CFU g −1 of probiotic bacteria in almond milk, 13.2 log CFU g −1 in powder and 180 °C as the inlet air temperature for spray drying.…”

“…Vegetable milks can be presented in powder form, thus offering a long shelf life, reducing the volume for storage and transportation, inhibiting growth of probiotics, and enabling easy and convenient use for consumers. Spray drying is a highly recommended method of drying vegetable beverages 11–13 . Probiotic bacteria survival was shown to be optimal (10 12 –10 14 cfu mL −1 ) for spray dried almond milk powder at 180 °C; thus, almond milk together with maltodextrin is considered as a good matrix for probiotic bacteria protection 13 …”

Modification of plant proteins for improved functionality: A review

“…Plant protein ingredients are currently widely used in the food industry owing to consumers' increasing demand for plant‐based products. For instance, some vegetable proteins have been used to replace meat (e.g., meat analogs), egg (mung bean protein isolates), milk (soy milk, almond milk), and other dairy products (vegan cheese; Bergsma, 2019; Lipan et al., 2020; Schreuders et al., 2019). Plant protein ingredients such as flour, isolates, and concentrates are needed for specific functions during food product development and as such, it is important to understand how their functionality supports product formulation and quality.…”